Her Path To Power: Bonds (2)
by dedicatedwriter21
Summary: "...I will assume the role that has long since been denied to me..." Born in the shadow of the legendary Sannin, Sayo has always been underestimated and ignored. Can she rise above all expectation regardless of having an overbearing father? Will she be the true heir to the 'Will of Power? THIS STORY HAS BEEN PERMANENTLY DISCONTINUED!
1. Living Two Lives

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However my original character Sayo and story belongs to me.**

**This is the first chapter of SECOND part of the 'Her Path to Power' series so I strongly suggest that you read the FIRST part 'Her Path to Power: Origins (1)' as you may have difficulty in understanding the dynamics of the characters and the plot line.**

**After much consideration I have decided that the only way I will continue with this story(and even consider writing the next chapter) is if I receive a minimum of FIVE reviews for this chapter and the ones after this one. You have been warned.**

Imagine a world where pain, strife and the usual worries of life were numbed and replaced by more pleasing emotions such as joy, trust and the upmost assurance that there wasn't a soul in the physical and physiological planes alike that would be able to penetrate this peaceful world and disrupt the sanctuary for those who resided within. As this was her world and unless she allowed anyone other then herself or the guardian enter, then it would always remain a happy place.

The guardian or the ultimate caretaker of such a realm was none other then the almighty Hashirama Senju. During his life on the physical plane he gained multiple titles from the ultimate patriarch, to the first Wood style user…Yet his major titles were the Shodaime and the God of shinobi. However the ninja world was oblivious to the real connection which he shared with the all powerful god like clan; the Monogataris, as it was certain that without their assistance he would have most likely never achieved stability across the five nations and risen to the plate of being the most revered for his mind and for his skill.

This was a part of his reason why he was so utterly dedicated to guiding and protecting(to the best of his ability) his protégée and great-granddaughter Sayo in all aspects of life; both the joys and the horrors. He had always been present but only when she had called upon him had he answered and helped her to regain control over her emotions and guide her down the path which had been preassigned to her many centuries before her actual arrival into the world.

There were many fates and realities which depended on Sayo's development thus Hashirama had been chosen and he had already began…already began to show her that there were still individuals within her world that did not seek to harm her via harmful words or hurtful actions.

….

It was deep among the trees that a small female with a long white abundance of beautiful hair was running further and further away from the dense vegetation. Her pure white kimono billowed out from beneath her as an almost perfect accompanying wind had made her playtime even more enjoyable then it would have most probably been like in real life. Behind her, approximately half a metre away, was none other then her playmate. He was a man nearly three times her height with tanned skinned, clad in flowing blue kimono robes and long straight brown which fell gracefully down to his hips but flowed out with the same wind that pushed back the hair of the white haired child.

Along with the adrenaline rush of chasing each other through the never ending fields, both of them were cheerfully laughing in the excitement of the pursuit. It was a childish activity to be sure but this was a game which the two loved to play to pass the time and relinquish all the troubles which had transpired during Sayo's life in the physical world.

As the hours went by, Hashirama began to reach out to her almost to touch her and she turned around and flashed him a cheeky grin. And soon after he came closer and closer to touching her and suddenly they found themselves on top of a hill and seconds later they came into contact for one mere second. With this touching motion alone, the two of them collided into a messy bundle and before they knew what was happening, they began to tumble and tumble down this seemingly never ending hill.

It was with one mere thought from Sayo alone that the two of them had reached level ground, and she found herself climbing into the awaiting arms of her great-grandfather. Hashirama naturally accepted her need to cling and quickly embraced her fully whilst chuckling at her obvious playful nature.

"This is truly a perfect world Hashirama" she murmured in a truly content tone.

The two of them swiftly manoeuvred to such a position in which Sayo now rested her head on his kimono shirt and he had his arms still tightly wrapped around her small body. There was no doubt that he had replaced Jiraiya in her mind and frankly proved to provide more emotional support for her. He had experienced her most tragic memory and since they had meet one another all those months ago, they had spent countless amounts of nights enjoying each other's company and simply passing the time either playing or talking. It was somewhat safe to assume that Sayo had succeeded in filling the hole which her father had left and gazing upon her great-grandfather she knew that he had become her rock and her confidant.

"It's your world my dear" she felt him gently rubbing her back and any negative emotions which could have surfaced at that moment in time.

A beaming smile appeared on her face and she answered:

"But you're my guardian and without you this world would probably be a perpetual thunder storm"

"Hum…" he replied.

"Sayo…"

A loud familiar voice erupted across the plains of her dream world and Sayo and Hashirama immediately arose to their feet. She buried herself in his arms and unlike all of those other times, she was motionless and her great-grandfather continued to cradle her in his arms and kept his silence.

"It's time isn't it?"

They soon broke apart and they gazed into each other's eyes with the upmost admiration. Their relationship had grown exponentially over their time together and then their peace was once again disrupted by the sound of a loud domineering voice.

"Sayo…! Are you still sleeping?"

Sayo turned his attention towards Hashirama once more and without even the slightest indication, he placed her hand onto her cheek and caressed it affectionately, smiling when her face became somber.

"I wish you the best of luck Sayo, I'm sure that you will do absolutely fine"

They both looked off in the distance and soon enough the perfect serene world began to dissolve away as her conscious mind began to take over with the sound of one particular voice.

"Sayo…! Do you intend to sleep all day?"

….

"Sayo do I have to come and get you myself?"

Sayo's eyes suddenly opened from her nightly slumber and her head felt rather light headed. There was no doubt that her abrupt awakening, without Hashirama's presence, would have lead her to have a massive headache. For the next few minutes she contemplated on the serene mind scape which her great-grandfather had managed to calm her emotions and her nerves, which was truly ideal because she slowly placed her hands onto her mattress and pulled herself into a sitting position. All the while her eyes continued to adjust to the sun which was fighting to blare it's way through the curtain drawn over her balcony doors.

_Such a bright sun…Is it possible that I haves slept all the way until midday…_

She rubbed her eyes and ran her eyes alone the new arrangement of her furniture. Her double bed was now position to the right of the balcony doors and there was a simple whitely painted desk with a blue soft padded office chair, both wedged between the wall running opposite to the entrance and the wall in parallel to the entrance of her bathroom. The six bookcases were still placed along the wall equidistant to the door leading to the bathroom, whereas now her wardrobe had been positioned to the left of the entrance door while the empty space to the right would probably be promptly occupied.

The rearrangement of the paraphernalia in her room and the absence of certain amenities such as the changing table, the toy box and the supplies cabinet truly meant that she had transcended the limitations of babyhood and was now clearing bounding towards the new horizons of being a child. Now her bookcases contained books of all areas and held tomes on both fact and fiction and her special toys were placed systematically along certain shelves, whilst her most important friend was currently situated beside her on the bed. It was crafted out of velvet beaming in it's glorious gold. It's long arms and legs were ideal for when Sayo wrapped her arms around it at night and it's black bean eyes with the delicate black stitching defining it's mouth. Along with the pink silk bow on it's left ear and frankly its neutral composure made it the perfect companion. And she had called her teddy bear Teddyersa, her ideal silent female friend.

"SAYO! IF YOU DON'T COME DOWN IN TEN MINUTES THEN I'LL TAKE YOUR DOOR OF IT'S HINGES"

Sayo found her unwillingly climbing out from her bed covers and trudging over to her bathroom. She knew exactly who was summoning her and after have resisted the urge to back down over the last six months, seeing her father was not on the top of her list by any means.

Entering her cleansing room was etched in her muscle memory and watching her face over the basin only served to make her more aware of the uncomfortable circumstance she would be forced to face as soon as she descended the stairs and passed the threshold to the kitchen. Therefore she chose to elongate her preparation time as she didn't really take her father's threat seriously.

It was after ten minutes exactly that she found herself standing in front of her open wardrobe and with one hand she was slowly flipping through her selection of her otherwise unsatisfactory outfits. After her dramatic separation from her father's domineering hold, her mind and mentality on life in general had matured significantly and therefore the pink and frilly attributes of her clothes made her feel uncomfortable. So after what seemed to be eons of pondering upon her seemingly simple predicament, she reached forward and removed a pale purple kimono with a white obi belt.

She promptly pulled the dress over her head and swiftly tied her belt in a neat bow behind her back. It was a festive gown no doubt, but in Sayo's eyes, she was certain that she would be able to reject her baby features and present herself as a intelligent child who wouldn't concede to her father's whims and caprices.

Descending the stairs to the ground floor, Sayo kept considering her resolve to resist any of her father's playful or demoralising taunts. And as soon as she found herself walking down the corridor of the house, she wondered why her father was so hard set on invading on her personal space. She knew from experience that he established himself as a independent human being but he was so intent on making her his little pet once more.

It was from the moment she was in front of the sliding door leading to the kitchen that one voice resonated from within her mind.

_If you stay strong then there is no one who can break you will unless you want them to._

She placed her hand on the door and mumbled almost silently:

"Thank you Hashirama"

….

The kitchen was just as immaculate as it had been from the day that the parents had returned from the hospital with Sayo in their arms. The round table was still placed between sliding door and the window which was in exact equidistant to where she had entered. And to the right everything from

The third room beside the kitchen was none other than a large dining room, containing cabinets, a double fridge, a double oven and a deluxe washing up basin. In normal circumstances it would be Shizune's domain but over the past few months her mother,Tsunade had participated more and more in the procedures of cooking and she wondered if that had been at her father's orders that this change had come about. After all, after having maintained her silence for nearly six months, she was not entirely surprised that her father was attempting to bring her closer and closer to his vision of an ideal family. And after having learnt so much about her mother's position as one of the Sannin and the princess of the Senju clan, Sayo could not believe that her mother had become so weak and permitted her father to rule over her. It confused her why her mother had chosen obedience and why she in turn expected her to back down from her rebellion and become their pretty little doll once more.

After five minutes of simple silence, Sayo suddenly became incredibly aware of the three pairs of eyes which had landed on her tiny form. The first ones were Shizune's dark brown orbs which were mixed with both intrigue and a certain amount of fear. Sayo was sure that from the brief conversations which they had had with each other, Shizune was perhaps the only member of their household which did not believe that she ought to relinquish the power she had gained through clever thinking. Whilst the fear in her gates to her soul was most likely caused by the appearance she was attempting to maintain of her loyalty to her father. It was not secret that she was living with them at the Toad Sage's consent and therefore she couldn't actively go against any of his commands.

Then came the brown eyes of her mother. At first they appeared to be devoid of any sort of emotion but the more she gazed at her mother, the more she recognised the presence of disappointment within them. Her mother had never mentioned her stance in the argument which had been occurring between her and her father, but now she could see her thoughts clearly. Her mother disapproved and this alone gave her goosebumps as she wasn't sure how she would be able to battle against both of her parents!

Lastly came the eyes of her father and they were the most striking of them all, as they were clouded in what seemed to be a never ending annoyance and hurt pride. From the confrontations which she had had with him, she would have never thought that her father would leave his emotions so obvious to others. She couldn't understand him at most times. As he had gone from a suffocatingly adoring parent, to a mean domineering disciplinarian and now he was trying to retrace his steps of being the parent he had been up until the time when he had crossed that line. Sure she had changed but she was determined to show her father that because he had raised his hand against her, she would not allow him to forget that it had happened as that would have truly implied that he was winning back his control over her.

All in all, their gazes on her still form was that of a solid determination to break down her many defences and her strong stance of rebellion, the very same one which had allowed her to distance herself from any sort of possibility of ever returning to her previous self of being an ignorant infant and instead her resolve gave her the strength to pursue her otherwise most prodigious nature.

She then took a deep breath and she looked onto her father once more and almost felt her body being paralysed in certain apprehension. Then without even the slights warning she saw a flash of Hashirama from within her mind her she heard his reassuring voice resonating from within her ears:

"Do not worry my dear if you keep you keep your calm composure, your father will not be able to break through your mental defences"

Slowly she made her way over to table and became incredibly weary of the eyes which seemed to be following her with every step she took. It was daunting to think that she couldn't feel comfortable in her own home and that her father, now matter how talented he was in his role as Sannin, he was unable to notice the slight shifty gazes which most of the villagers gave her when they saw that she was there. She hoped, truly hoped that she would be able to numb this unpleasant sensation by forming friendships in the academy, as that was her only legitimate reason to be allowed out of the walls of her home.

And it was from the moment that she assumed her place at the table that her father had became his inevitable onslaught of criticisms.

"So the prima donna has finally decided to make her entrance at noon exactly"

At the instruction of his words alone, Sayo found herself glancing over to the clock positioned on the wall in parallel to the door which she had just stepped through, and marvelled at how she had spent the last twelve hours having fun in the mind scape along with the family member she held the highest regard for above everyone else: Hashirama Senju.

She, like all the other times her father had attempted to coax a response out of her, breathed in deeply and made her way over to her empty seat at the breakfast table. All the while she wondered how long she would be able to control her temper and resist the temptation to fight of her father's taunting and the other ways he tried melt her otherwise stubborn demeanour.

Once there her father had began to usual morning onslaught:

"Six months…how can anyone chose to be mute for six months…!"

Sayo reached for the mug of hot chocolate which had been placed to the right hand side of her plate packed with all sorts of energy suppling foods. She could not help but grin widely as she recalled how all the previous family breakfasts had elapsed and how everything had began to spiral downhill for one Jiraiya Monogatari from the moment they had returned home from their meeting with Orochimaru and Sayo's fateful encounter with Kabuto.

In the first month Sayo had woken each morning to see her father hovering over her bed and following her everywhere around the house, even into the bathroom. Back then she had wondered why her father was so clingy and frankly disrespecting all sort of boundaries she felt that she deserved. If he had stayed silent, then it would not have been so bad, if he had only shut his mouth. But instead he had continually reminisced about the time before she had chosen to disrupt their perfect relationship just for the sake of it! And Sayo hadn't confirmed or denied his allegations.

In the second month her father had become a great deal more persistent in getting her to respond to his questions. He had badgered her with questions of a grand variety, he had started with the easy questions to what sort of things she had been reading and then he had gone onto the extremely personal questions of why she was wasting her intellect away on making his life a misery and why she had chosen to conduct such a dangerous prank. In the end, Sayo's patience had drawn so incredibly thin that the only plausible thing she could do was to slam the door in his face and somehow hope that she would be able to regain her privacy.

The third month had been a turning point. During this time whenever she and her father meet, his questions had turned into criticisms and when she tried to escape from his every piercing gaze, he had grabbed onto hands and quite literally dragged her back into his arms. This had occurred so many times that Sayo was stunned that she had succeeded in keeping her silence and eventually infuriating him even more. And thus she was slowly regaining control as her father grew more and more irritable.

Their fourth and fifth months had been spent in constant turmoil with one another. Sayo had adopted the rule to never be alone with her father in any room. She had long since learned that her father was even willingly to manhandle her to stop her from evading his questions and his domineering gaze. Instead she made sure to always stay close to her mother or Shizune since she was sure that they wouldn't make her feel small or force her to abide by their wishes. After all they weren't the controlling ones, it was her father and back then they hadn't been so open about their thoughts for her to return to her father's embrace and give up the battle. Much like they were doing now.

"Sayo you can't really be thinking about the possibility of keeping silent for the rest of your life"

Sayo continued to eat her breakfast and she resisted the urge to look at her father's every observant eyes as she was sure that he was attempting to use the staring game to rile her up. It was the one thing she hadn't managed to pull back and that was her father's ability to push her buttons and make her explode. And now that they were in such close proximity she hoped that in some way or another, she would be able to stick to her silence and somehow escape from the argument which her father was beginning to brew.

"We both make mistakes but it's been six months and your tantrum shows that no matter how hard you try, you are just proving that you are nothing more then an immature brat"

It was at that moment that she finished her breakfast and took a deep breath and gazed upon her father's now calculating eyes. She cringed when she saw his wide smirking face and his determined eyes, it was almost as if they were telling her that today would be the day that he would rise above her in what appeared to be their never ending conflict.

She picked up the napkin and wiped her lips, all the while watching her father's next move. And it was not before long that his smile grew bigger and suddenly the kitchen was filled with the sound of his laughter.

And for the next five minutes they all stared at Jiraiya as his entire body vibrated and his laughter became louder and louder and Sayo's irritation grew exponentially. In fact the more pronounced her anger became, the more her father laughed and it seemed that not even her mother couldn't deduce what his next actions would be.

"You…you think that I will merely let you go on without speaking…"

Sayo narrowed her eyes significantly but still managed to halt herself from doing anything rash.

"You are the child and I am the adult and you will obey my wishes"

At that moment Sayo finished her breakfast and her next thought was becoming more and more obvious.

"You are immature and your rebellion is for nought and I can assure you that you will not be free of me until you are at the very least eighteen years old!"

Sayo heard her mother gasp and Shizune's uncomfortable face, and it was at that moment that she saw her father's eyes. They were egging her on to defend herself and say something that she would most likely regret, especially since breaking her silence would mean that her father had won.

So she did the next best, she rose from the table and swiftly pulled her hands to her chest before her father could even think of manhandling her in any sort of way. And she ignored his orders for her to come back as she hurried over to the front door of the house.

Once there she was sure that the shifty looks of the villagers may have been a better option then having to endure her father's criticisms for the next hour. And after putting her outside shoes on, she took a deep breath and prepared herself to cross the threshold of her father's house.

Yet from the moment she opened the door and gathered the courage to do just that, however she never managed to make it through as she was suddenly meet with what appeared to be an invisible wall. In her confusion, she lifted her hands up and attempted to survey this invisible entity. Running her hands along this unidentifiable paraphernalia, she tried pulling and pressing against it as she tried to step across the threshold once more. Once again this strange force blocked her access to the outside world and then she knew that she had to up her game.

She shut her eyes tightly and within a few moments she began to think of one name and repeated over and over again like a mantra: Hashirama, Hashirama, Hashirama, Hashirama…

She then heard his soft tone and complied by allowing the foreign energy to take over her body and she lunged forward and whacked as hard as she possibly could. She found herself opening her eyes to see the wall becoming visible as she saw waves of yellow electricity running all the way up to the roof of the house. The more she pounded, the more this barrier seemed to sizzle and spit but still succeeded in keeping her within the walls of the place she was incredibly desperate to escape.

A minute later she whipped around and she came saw her parents and Shizune approaching her. She immediately noticed her father's blissful complexion and her mind immediately starting to contemplate on the possibility that her father had somehow found a way to piss her off even further.

Quickly her eyes searched for some instrument to facilitate her exit to the outside as it seemed that not even Hashirama could break down this intrusive barrier. And soon enough she laid her hands onto an umbrella and braced herself to whack the life of whatever concoction her father had created.

"Is that really wise my dear?"

By this this her father was standing a metre away from her current position and a evil though crossed her mind to instead of working on breaking the barrier, she considered turning the makeshift weapon on him instead.

Soon she clenched her teeth together and with one serious look of determination she sprinted forward and used the pointy end by directing against the invisible wall and watching as it fizzled and crackled, still resisting her attempts to leave the place which to Sayo now seemed to be a prisoner inside of her home.

She turned to glare at her father whilst trying to direct her anger to standing her ground and not showing her father that she was helpless against this seemingly impenetrable force.

"It's a caged bird barrier seal"

Sayo frowned as she was sure that she had read something about the white eyes clan or in other words one of the families who had spoken so lowly of her during the day she had learnt what the Konoha shinobi and many of the citizen population thought about her.

Once again she tried to force her way through but this time her father had placed his hand onto her shoulder and caused her to becoming paralysed in complete and utter fury at what he had done to her.

"No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to leave the house unless I want you to.."

Seeing his victorious grin, Sayo was starting to see red and her hands clenched on the umbrella she was holding on to. And before she knew what was happening her breathing her become laboured as panic began to cloud her judgement as she worried that her ultimate fears would be confirmed.

"…I used your blood, therefore the barrier is designed to keep you and only you in"

She reached for his hand and ripped it of her shoulder, causing to step back in shock at her brusque actions. Since from her shaking form, she could see his face and his frank concern that she would go to the next level and beat the crap out him.

Yet as soon as Sayo noticed his timid complexion, her fury towards him dissipated away as her brain had returned to trying to find a logical way to bust through his barrier. She had momentarily ignored the impracticalities of her mission as she was instead more concerned with maintaining her silence and venting her anger on an inanimate object.

She became to take steps away from the invisible wall and braced herself for some sort of strategic manoeuvre to force her way through a finally be rid of her father's ever joyful eyes. It seemed that her father thought that he had managed to weaken her resolve but from the moment she saw his eyes, she had broken into a full blown run as speed closer and closer towards the barrier.

She raised her instrument of attack and she jumped up and stabbed the barrier with all of her might. Instead the barrier sizzled and cracked and before she knew what was occurring, she was suddenly forced back and she went flying back into the staircase right at the other end of the hallway.

However her body never landed as a white blur had appeared a few seconds before she fell, as instead two strong arms had halted her from doing so. And when her vision finally became clear, she realised that it was none other then her father who had caught her.

For what seemed to be a lifetime, actually five minutes, father and daughter stared at other, their anger and hurt feelings almost becoming non-existent.

Sayo was the one to eventually break the connection as she twisted and turned in his embrace and forcibly pushing herself to the floor. Because in her mind, being so close to her father reminded her of the olden days, the time which she worked so hard each and every day to forget.

Once she rose to her feet, she saw his hurt face and unable to do anything else, she glanced to the broken umbrella and then her father's face, and then she walked forwards and braced herself for the staircase, her only route to avoid any more conflict with her father.

And it was as she hurried away from him, she heard his wailing voice:

"Sayo! Sayo…please come back!"

….

From the moment that Sayo had entered into her room, she was overcome by a sudden sense of utter helplessness. But she only gave into this weakness once the door was tightly shut, as her knees collapsed from underneath her and loud weepings of frustration had began to erupt from the back of her throat. Sure in the past she had cried over the loss of her relationship with her father but now, as she had moved past that stage, her tears were more a symptom of the constant struggle she experienced with her father. It seemed that no matter where she turned he was always there to drag her down and make her feel helpless once more. Since no matter how hard she tried, he provided to be a constant obstacle for ever action she took to define herself as an individual without the continuous need to be babied and made too feel immature. A part of her was aware that her age may have been a factor but she just couldn't comprehend why her father wouldn't just chose one side and stick to it. She wondered if he was deliberately switching sides, so that she could never deduce what she was required to fight off any of his changing moods.

As she continued to brawl in annoyance, her mind became clouded with one fearful thought: how would she be able to maintain her silence if her father was upping the stakes so much? It was a troublesome predicament indeed as she was sure that he would put some sort of condition on her to be able to leave the house once again. And after having somehow succeeded in diverting her tantrum to whacking the crap out the barrier and almost breaking every bone in her body, had her father not caught her into the security of his arms. It was a small gesture to be sure, but being in such close proximity to her father's face, it had taken her all of her might not to wrap her arms around him and seek his warmth and love. Sayo was sure that if it hadn't been for Hashirama's warning to not revert back or lose everything which she had worked for more then a year. Sure she was annoyed that his guidance hadn't granted her access to the outside world but she was certain that if she could trust anyone, it was him.

After ten minutes of relinquishing all of her pent up emotions, she found herself approaching her bookcases with the sole goal to wash away all of her worries by delving into the world of words. Unlike the first four years of her life, her shelves where growing with the number of books she pinched from the living room and the ones which she nicked from her father's study. She had long since learnt that taking the books and then putting them back, was far more practical then actually rushing to reading the contents of this manuscript from within her father's private space. And before she knew it she had removed a title called 'The Monogatari clan: Uncertain Truths'.

After running her hands along the front of the cover of the book, she wondered why her father insisted on keeping such an essential volume within his study and not place it onto the bookcases within the living room. Soon she assumed her place by her desk and cracked open the book, intensely curious to learn more about her clan.

The first page she opened was called 'Prologue: Warnings'. Sayo was naturally taken back by the title of this chapters as it seemed to be rather out of place to the other books she had read regarding the important ninja clans within the shinobi world.

Yet soon she went beyond the initial judgement and commenced on reading the chapter.

**To understand the Monogatari clan, you must understand that there are not any firm facts regarding this clan only that they existed or they still exist in a world inaccessible to ours.**

A frown appeared on Sayo's face as she couldn't comprehend why her father's clan wouldn't exist as she was quite sure that he wouldn't and she would not have existed either. Yet what annoyed her the most was that her father barely spoken about their shared bloodline, almost as if he was ashamed or perhaps unknowing about the clan referred to in legends himself.

**Therefore the chapters of this book instead of relaying information which is reliable instead presents certain speculations which have accumulated over the past few centuries with the introduction of our shinobi culture. Many say that the Monogatari clan are special beings who were originally dragons but through certain events they have acquired multiple superior variations of our chakra abilities.**

Sayo was becoming rather irked by this introduction of sorts as she couldn't say for sure whether the content she was reading was true or not.

**However there is one thing that has been confirmed that each generation of this clan is lead by one individual mostly male and his orders are what have allowed our disorder world to gain some sort of balance in which we no longer have to fear for our lives even when we slumber. **

Sayo immediately stopped reading as she was becoming incredibly frustrated. She could see the remainder of the page filled with vague speculations and she hoped the somewhat slim book would be able to give her a better sort of understanding of where she came from. Instead she turned to the table of contents and saw that there would be solid entries of her clan members and after quickly flipping through these pages and trying absorb as much of the text as possible. She knew that she would need to learn more about the shinobi world before she could ever possibly hope to comprehend the intricacies of her elusive family.

Thinking about her blood relations made her mind inadvertently revert to the tumultuous relationship she had with her father. Sure she was trying to act older and everything but at her tender age of almost five and a half, she didn't know whether her heart would survive the speed of her intellectual growth even if her mind was being shielded by Hashirama.

_Sayo, weep no further and instead be grateful for what you do have. Giving up on your relationship could just prove to be the stability you need to move on with your life and finally find those who are like minded to yourself._

She contemplated on his assuring words and soon enough she had lost consciousness.

Soon enough the light which was beaming through her window had soon be replaced by a dim light coming from none other then the rising moon itself. It seemed as if night had come and after having crammed her head with so information that she had passed out in weariness and was now resting her head on none other then her desk itself. Unlike all of those times she had not fallen into a fitful slumber as she had done all of those times before. And Hashirama was the one who had facilitated her falling to sleep as he was the one who was keeping away all of her nightmares and preparing her for the events to come…

Her slumber remained peaceful and silent until a voice calling her name could be heard blowing in through her open balcony doors. As she was not in the world of consciousness, her mind hadn't registered anything odd transpiring. But her chakra network had promptly activated itself at the possible presence of another being.

"Sayo…" This time the voice was significantly louder and she soon began to stir from her uncomfortable position of sleeping.

"Sayo…"

She continued to wake from her deep sleep and Hashirama didn't seem to be in the least bit surprised at this person's entrance. And soon enough she began to open her eyes and her instincts were put on the highest alert.

Sayo suddenly arose from her chair and whipped around to see a man standing in her doorway. It had taken her eyes a full minute to adjust to the darkness which had come travelling into her room and the more time past, the more she was able to identify who had succeeded to climb up her house and was now facing her.

He was wearing black rimmed circular glasses which protected his onyx eyes and complemented his ash-grey hair tied back in a ponytail with cascading bangs framing on both sides of his forehead. A smile grew on her face as she saw his dark purple shirt with a high collar, a white under-shirt, dark purple fingerless gloves with armoured plates on the back of his hand. It grew even wider when he saw a white cloth waistband worn at an angle, his dark purple pants, his blue sandal, and a shuriken holster on his right leg.

"Kabuto…?" she asked in a meek tone as she was still finding it difficult to accept that after all the turmoil she had had to endure over the past six months would reward her with his arrival.

A warm grin appeared on his face and she found herself approaching him with a fairly slow pace. Her mind was still muddled at just having woken up and she wondered whether he was actually there or whether she was simply dreaming.

The closer she had come to him, the more conscious she began of the happy tears which had began to run down her face. Her heart was beginning to beat once more and all the fears and worries which had been weighing down her heart were being washed away. She had for such a long time been chained to her predicaments that she had forgotten the most important thing, that she wasn't alone and there were those that still believed in her and wanted to help her.

"Why…why are you here Kabuto?" she managed to mutter.

Her guest's smile merely grew wider and her heart beat began to beat even faster and before she knew what was happening she was overwhelmed with a sudden excitement. She couldn't understand why her moods were fluctuating so very much, but the closer she draw to him, the more intense the warm sensation grew within her chest. She didn't know why but it felt so right that he had finally come and before she knew what she was doing, she was reaching out to see whether or not he was actually there.

And before she fell forward, Kabuto had lifted his hand and the two of them had come into tactile contact and now Sayo was absolutely sure that she was awake and he was here, defiantly here.

"Good evening dear Sayo, it's been a while hasn't it"

She momentarily pulled away from her grey haired friend and the two of them were now gazing at each other with calm expressions. Sayo was so grateful that by Kabuto's mere presence alone, she was finally able to think clearly and then she repeated her initial question with more confidence then before.

"Why have you come Kabuto?"

A massive grin grew on his face and Sayo titled in intrigue.

"Come now Sayo you cannot have seriously forgotten the promise I made you all though months ago"

_Promise…? Promise…? Has he really come to lift the burden of my heart?_

She then watched him getting onto his knees and carefully take her twitching hands into his.

"I promised you that I would train you in every skill I know"

Sayo blinked and then blinked once more still unable to fully accept what was being said to her.

"Really…?" she asked in a shaky tone.

"Yes Sayo really"

Sayo breathed in heavily and repeated her previous question:

"Really Kabuto, are you really here to train me?"

Kabuto smiled and nodded simultaneously stating the words which would undoubtedly seal the promise pact between them.

"Most defiantly"

**In the words of Jiraiya the Toad Sage: 'It's a question of quid pro quo...I'll give you what you want but in return you have to try and get me what I want..."**

**I'LL START WORKING ON THE NEXT CHAPTER ONCE I RECEIVE MY MINIMUM OF FIVE REVIEWS! SO PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. The Secrets They Hid In The Night

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However my original character Sayo and story belongs to me.**

**Thank you The Half-Fallen Angel, SilverKitsuneGrlAngel, xxxTash101xxx, SmileRen, gunslayer12, A Frozen Shadow, Guest and 4DarkMirror6 for your wonderful reviews, they really gave me the incentive to finish and post this chapter.**

**Here are some responses to your reviews!**

****The Half-Fallen Angel: Thank you! You were the first reader to review this story and this chapter and I'm really grateful. Orochimaru will make a permanent appearance in this chapter in due course and Kabuto's presence is to protect and guide Sayo. So please continue to read and review!****

****SilverKitsuneGrlAngel: Thank you! I am truly ******honoured for your compliments as they have taught me to have more confidence in myself as a writer. I am really pleased that I have managed to balance both detail and action and creat chapters which are pleasurable to read! So please continue to read and review!**

****xxxTash101xxx: Thank you! My intention was to hit the ground running with the second part and I am pleased that I have succeeded in impressing you. Please continue to read and review!****

****SmileRen: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed my chapter and hope you continue to read and review!****

****gunslayer12: Thank you! I am relieved that you were able to remember what happened in the previous book with just a few paragraphs(I did try to make the bridge smooth, so that the second part can easily follow on from the first.) As for Hashirama, well he was introduced in the last chapter of the first part 'The Guardian in the Blood Seal' and he's here to stay. Also I completely agree with Jiraiya being a 'big prick' especially since he is fighting so hard to regain the control he once had over Sayo and the 'caged bird barrier' is just one of the few ways he's trying to drag her back under his thumb once more. On the other hand, while Kabuto's true intentions have not yet been revealed, there are a few things I can say. He is evil in the sense that he is simultaneously stabbing both Orochimaru and Jiraiya in the back, as they have no clue about the promise he made Sayo. However he is not a threat to Sayo, as there are other forces at play and his mission is to start her down the path which has already been chosen for her(I'm not saying much more as it will spoil any revelations in the future parts!). Also thanks for pointing out my misspelling, I did realise a few days ago (after I posted this chapter) that when typing I didn't realise that I was spelling 'defiantly' when I really meant to write 'definitely'. But then again this does seem to be the danger with typing nowadays. I may change this later on when I am sure that I wouldn't lose my reviews or my views for this chapter! So please continue to read and review!****

****A Frozen Shadow: Thank you! I am glad that you are happy for part two and I hope you continue to read and review!****

****Guest: Thank you! Your review was both humorous and touching (especially the part in which you wrote 'Write you glorious fool! Write!'). I am fully aware that there are other kids of Delilah's age and she will meet them later on (as meeting them too soon would disrupt the flow of the story). As for you suggestion with her meeting the Uchihas, well that is my plan much much later in part two. However I will most definitely consider your suggestion about Itachi and try to add a meeting earlier on in the story where it could be appropriate. Also it's a pity you don't have an account, as you seem like a serious reader (especially since from your review it sounded like you read the entire first part and the the start of the second in one day!). So please continue to read and review!****

****4DarkMirror6: Thank you! I am pleased that you are happy that I have started writing the second part. Yes concentrating on emotions was a big part of this chapter especially since the turmoil between Sayo and her father are a dominant part of her life at the moment. While Kabuto is more like Sayo's beckon of light beckoning her to continue her fight and not return to being ignorant of the world around her. I am glad that you think I have done a good job so far! So please continue to read and review!****

**And finally my dear readers the time has come for the next chapter. So feast your eyes and enjoy, and please do let me know you think!**

Lying on the sofa, Sayo could not help but marvel at how calm and collected she felt even after all of the emotional turmoil her father had put her through. She was amazed at how easily Kabuto had managed to put her mind at ease, even after everything which had transpired. It no longer mattered that her father was lying at her feet and watching her every move. She was sure that because she was at peace with herself, her father would not succeed in bringing her to tears or cause her to succumb to her childish nature and throw a whopping tantrum. Even if her father, lying on the floor beside the sofa she was resting on, was still under the impression that he could unhinge like he succeeded in doing two months ago.

She soon turned her attention to the book which was securely place within her lap. It was an interesting book indeed as it was regarding the workings of the academy and how it had been the second hokage who had established such an fundamental system within the village hidden in the leaves. In her mind she was intrigued by this tome, as she was incredibly interested in how she would become a ninja and finally define herself as an individual worth being acknowledged by the members of Konoha's hidden village.

She then began to read:

**The Shodaime may have proclaimed peace between major shinobi clans and establish order within our world. Yet it was his younger brother, our Nidaime, who had established a ranking system for ninjas and in doing so he introduced the curriculum which we know today as our very own prestigious ninja academy.**

Sayo ran her hands along the page and marvelled at how important her Senju descendants were. Sure she may have been a little sorrowful that she couldn't really know more about her paternal roots but at least she would be able to learn about half of her bloodline.

**To determine who was eligible to enter into such a prestigious place three conditions needed to be met. Firstly, that one must love the village and hope to help preserve peace and prosperity, secondly, that a potential shinobi should have a mind that will not yield and be able to endure hard training and work and thirdly be healthy in mind and body. **

The rest of the introduction gave an overview of the ranks in the village, the importance of unity to maintain the village peace and the few who had reached the level of kage and s-class. Sayo knew that this book would be very important for her future, but because it was so close to her bedtime, she wouldn't be able to read much more of it(something which she respected with or without parental command).

As she read the preface, she become more and more amazed at how leisurely her father remained reading at her feet and he hadn't even tried to start up any sort of conversation. She enjoyed the silence but she could not help but wonder how long it would be until her father was on her tail once more.

She then when onto reading Chapter One and she was somewhat shocked to learnt that she was blessed with many advantages for entering into such a place of learning. Sayo was fully aware of how her parents were ranked and how thoroughly they were respected for their role as legendary Sannin. Their ranking within the shinobi society was a constant bane of her life as it was the sole cause for Konoha to view her as insignificant, yet after having observed how elusive they were in showing their destain towards her in front of her own parents, she was sure that they wouldn't attempt to bypass protocol and risk showing the Lord Master Jiraiya Monogatari and the Lady Tsunade Senju their true feelings towards her.

In the official documents they had acknowledged her as their daughter and she was sure that with having the fourth hokage as her godfather, her access into the academy was surely granted. However with pondering all the possibilities of how she could enter into such a school, Sayo hadn't given it any sort of thought what would happen if she didn't get in or if for some reason or another her parents refused to allow her entry into the place to which she was desperate to enter.

Soon Sayo found herself interrupted by the entrance of none other then Shizune, the adoptive aunt who she at least didn't feel judged her at every minute of the day, came into the living room with none other then a large mug of hot chocolate. A smile erupted on her face as she could not help but be grateful for this one constant thing within her life and that was to consumed a mug of hot chocolate when she awoke and another just before she put her head down to rest. Even though she would not grant her father her smile of gratitude, she was somewhat grateful that he had followed the same regime when they had taken their trip together.

She blinked once and realised that Shizune was now standing beside her, close to her head and she noticed that her father had stopped reading and was now looking gazing at the two of them with frank intrigue. It seemed that whenever she conceded to receiving the mug, just like she had proceeded to do, a twinkle of confidence could be seen within his eyes. If she didn't know it any better this routine was something which she had done from when she had reached her second year, and her father had probably gotten it into his head that because she continued her ritual, he had some glimmer of hope of turning her back into the weak ignorant baby who would be willingly to do whatever he desired.

Placing the mug to her lips and suckling at the creamy substance inside, she continued to see how her father's grin widened and unlike all those other times when worry would have crept into her heart, there was one dominant thought which kept her sane. She was no longer alone in her pursuit for independence as the memory of meeting Kabuto anew and his confirmation that he would train her to be strong and someday work to achieve her ultimate goal of being recognised as a shinobi worthy of being acknowledged as such and not merely an accessory of the legendary Sannin.

She gazed upon the brunette and voiced the words of gratitude:

"That was very nice Shizune, I really appreciate it"

She then flashed her a rare smile, one which she refused to give her father every chance she got and she could see his disappointment in her doing so.

The tray which Shizune had been carrying had flipped downwards against her chest as returned her smile and responded:

"That is quite alright Sayo"

Sayo simply nodded and saw the jealousy clouding her father's eyes. And she could not help but grin wider in glee, it seemed that her father sometimes wished to switch places with her mother's disciple as it seemed that whatever the last issue was, she and Shizune had somehow succeeded in finding common ground. She was the ideal mediator.

Their silence was suddenly interrupted by the loud entrance of none other then her Senju mother. Sayo immediately knew that her mother's boisterous change in nature was a sign that her mother wanted her to notice her especially since she had forgone the usual greeting she gave her father.

"It's almost eight o'clock, time to get you into bed Sayo"

With the mention of her bed, Sayo immediately leapt of the sofa and bounded towards her mother, completely stepping over her stunned father. It seemed that at moments like this, mother and daughter seemed to forget that the patriarch of the household was standing round and fuming at being ignored.

Yet before the two of them could leave the room together, Jiraiya suddenly decided to make his presence known as he reached forward to grab onto Sayo's small body and embrace her tightly within his arms. For five minutes she stayed as rigid as a plank of wood since she had begun to shield herself from his affection and now she was making it finally known.

Once her father released his grip, she saw his pained face and saw how hard he was trying to withhold any tears which he may have shed. Instead she then turned her head to look at her mother, who had crossed her arms and merely tutted at such a sorrowful sight, and soon enough the two of them were making their way up the stairs.

….

"Sayo…Sayo…"

Sayo immediately began to stir from her world of slumber especially since Hashirama had made sure that she that both her mind and body would be well rested in the case that she would have a special visitor once her parents were both sleeping.

"I am here"

She continued to exit from her mind scape but not too quickly. Staying with Hashirama was one of her few comforts. Soon enough she was rising from her slumber and the first question which came to her mind.

"What time is it?"

"It's gone midnight Sayo"

She then opened her eyes wide and the sleepiness was beginning to wash away.

"Hey there"

Sayo turned her attention towards the balcony doors and it was there that she saw Kabuto, the man who had come to visit her almost two months before. He was clad in his usual attire and she could not help but smile as she realised that her hopes and dreams would finally come true and she would be able to gain enough training to have an advantage over the other pupils in the academy. This she hoped would allow her to make herself known throughout the leaf village and hopefully become powerful enough to be compared to her parents, instead of being the living reminder of how she was weak and the reason why her parents had joined together in marriage.

She still couldn't understand why some of the villagers resented her family for joining together through both legal and biological means.

After much deliberation, Sayo finally found the strength to pull her legs out from underneath the bed covers and slowly but surely slip her feet into her slippers, to eventually rise to her feet and be able to face Kabuto. Once there, she was meet by his sincere smile and she had forgotten everything which had transpired and she headed towards the wardrobe. Opening the doors, she removed a fluffy white dressing gown and promptly wrapped it around her body. And she began to approach Kabuto and considered what her new teacher had planned for her. But of all the things she hoped for, she prayed to Kami that no matter what occurred, her parents would not find out about her secret relationship with the ninja with glasses.

Blinking suddenly, she noticed that Kabuto had taken a few steps back and she watched him reaching into his shirt pocket and removing what seemed to be a pack of slips of paper. Yet as she eyed them more meticulously, she noticed there were specially drawn symbols on them and before she could voice her curiosity of what they were, Kabuto had ripped one out and pressed into on to the inside of her outer bedroom wall.

She was shocked to see the slip of paper pulsating quite rapidly and she nearly cried out in surprise, when she saw pure streaks of what appeared to be imbedded chakra seeping out from within. These lines continued to grow bigger and soon enough they were running along the walls of her bedroom and in doing so, it had caused her room to dimly glow and once these lines joined up on the other side, the lines disappeared and that was when Kabuto had spoken with a louder tone then before.

"How have you been Sayo?"

Sayo sighed and responded truthfully:

"Being the daughter of the Sannin is not all dreams and daises, especially with such an overbearing father"

Kabuto nodded:

"I wouldn't be surprised if your father never saw you as anything more then his baby girl"

She immediately narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in defiance. This earned her a laugh from Kabuto and then Sayo became worried:

"You idiot what if they hear us downstairs"

Kabuto shook his head and gently patted the slip of paper and he began to explain its use:

"This is a silencing seal. Your room has become like a sound vacuum, no sound can penetrate your space and our conversations will never be heard"

Sayo stared at him with a certain astonishment and admiration as it seemed that her friend knew how to deal with her particular situation.

"Anyhow time is passing us by quickly and we really do need to get going"

Sayo titled her head and then she noticed the movement of his hands.

"Ram" she watched as it placed his hands together, one higher then the other and he put his two front fingers down and the back fingers together.

"Snake" she observed his hands closely as he placed it together in a make shift praying position.

"Tiger" the last hand sign, she watched most meticulously as he clapped his hands together, folding the front one forward and pressing the back ones upwards.

After this slowed down version of doing a jutsu, Sayo watched incredibly amazed at what occurred next. A puff of smoke appeared next to Kabuto and from it emerged a perfect looking replica of him. And Sayo could not help but gape in amazement at how efficiently he had performed the jutsu and there was one thought which she asked Hashirama:

_Is this what it means to be a shinobi? To perform jutsu._

Sayo continued to observed to two Kabutos for a few minutes and soon after she heard his response.

"Jutsu is how we fight primarily but there are other elements to our profession."

She turned towards Kabuto, but it was his clone who had spoken:

"This is called the shadow clone jutsu and it benefits the user by both aiding them in battle and also gathering information from foreign hidden villages"

Sayo nodded and immediately recalled all the books which she had read regarding the hidden villages. Like many of these sort of books, she had found more information on them from the tomes located in her father's study.

"I would like you to try and make a clone yourself"

Sayo gazed at him absolutely stunned. She had not expected her training to commence so quickly but that didn't mean that she was unwilling to abide by his wishes. Soon she began to go through the motions, and she created the ram, snake and tiger hand signs. Her hands were quite shaky as she was suddenly overcome by the sense of helplessness, as her mind was flooded with negative thoughts. And then a puff of smoke appeared beside her, and her first clone had been created.

For the next few moments, the two of them gazed at the clone and Sayo's heart sank and sank and sank, as she realised that it was no where near as perfect as Kabuto's. In fact the more she gazed at her first clone and Kabuto's, the more she realised how much hers paled in comparison. But before she could sink into a further depression, the real Kabuto placed his hands on her shoulders and grinned massively:

"Don't worry Sayo, it's far better to struggle on the basics as I am sure that once you have mastered those, you will be confident enough the first time and perform the advanced techniques perfectly"

It was as if his words had quelled her fears and the evidence of her failure disappeared in a puff of smoke, much like Kabuto's own clone. It seemed as if her teacher considered that showing her one time how to do it perfectly was the best thing. Whilst dispelling his own clone, he had succeeded in calming her own sense of failure.

"Alright Sayo why don't you try again?"

Sayo nodded and took three breaths in and out, in and out and replayed how perfectly Kabuto had achieved his clone. She recalled all of the signs which he had performed with his hands and she prepared herself to replicate the same movements. And then she took a deep breath, and concentrated on constructing the perfect ram, the flawless snake and the faultless tiger hand signs and then she felt a surge of energy rushing throughout her entire body. And then she braced herself to look at what she had managed to achieve and once again her heart sank.

Sure she had made a clone just like before, but it was pale and lifeless much like her first attempt. Kabuto didn't say a single thing, but his encouraging smile continued and she clapped her hands together and her failed clone disappeared once more.

Once again she went through the motions of creating a shadow clone and through a puff of smoke, her third attempt appeared. It was pale and unmoving and by this time fury was the only emotion which had began to cloud her prodigious mind. And the more she tried to figure out what she was doing wrong, the more infuriated she became.

And before she put her hands together once more, Kabuto had reached forward and placed his hands onto hers, and kneeled down and gazed into her eyes.

"Sayo…" he called to her softly.

Sayo's sentiments of anger began to dissolve and she didn't know why, but his chakra seemed to calm her nerves and it was then that she heard his assuring suggestion:

"…instead of trying so hard to rely on the mechanisms, I think you ought to visualise what you want to achieve and your technique will come naturally"

Sayo breathed in and nodded, and Kabuto stepped back allowing her the room to perform the jutsu once more.

It was by instinct alone that she closed her eyes and her hands moved without even the slightest need to recall the signs, she had executed the jutsu and she felt the familiar puff of smoke materialising close to where she was standing. And soon after she found the courage to open her eyes and she was met with two brown eyes ever so close to her own.

"Hello there"

Sayo looked and looked once more and literally let out a cry of surprise. She wore the same white nightie and dressing gown and she had, and her unruly white hair was exactly the same as hers. In fact ever aspect of this girl was the same as her and she suddenly realised what had occurred:

"You're me, aren't you?"

Sayo's shadow clone nodded and she began to dance around the room and began singing some abstract victory song. In fact after a while both Kabuto and Sayo had burst into laughter and the clone Sayo crossed her arms in defiance.

"What are you laughing at?"

Sayo glanced towards Kabuto and then her clone, and then she clapped her hands together and her clone vanished into a puff off smoke.

"So that is your true self, is it?" Kabuto dared to ask.

The real Sayo crossed her arms in annoyance and responded:

"Well I created a perfect clone, didn't I?"

Kabuto laughed and nodded:

"Yes…when you didn't try so hard!"

Unsure of whether or not to defend herself, she stayed silent and felt her ash grey haired friend place his hand on her shoulder.

"You have done very well my dear"

A blush appeared on her face and from his exceedingly pleased grin, she could not help but feel embarrassed at how much her teacher was praising her.

She watched as he made his way towards the seal on her wall and she braced herself to be as quiet as she possibly could. He slowly pealed it off and in doing so, the white lines had appeared once more on her wall. She watched intrigued as they rushed along the wall from her door and quickly receded back to the original source. And then she saw all of the power disappearing as he returned the paper seal to the pad where the other ones were being kept.

Sayo was amazed to find him removing another pad from his pocket, seals containing different symbols and it was with one swift movement that he had come forward and made a small cut on her arm and smeared the resulting blood all over the stack of seals. Before she could cry out from the resulting sting of the cut, Kabuto had placed his hand over the wound he had made and with the momentary white glow of his hand, there was not a single trace of the injury left behind.

Kabuto put a finger to his lips indicating for her to remain silent. And Sayo watched as her blood seeped through the massive stack of seals and she continued to observe Kabuto as he returned to her open balcony doors. He then ripped one out and placed it down onto the wall. Unlike the other seal, this one had lapped the walls in a white translucent chakra and it lapped over her bedroom walls. And before she knew what was happening, this same white sheet had lapped itself over the open gap of the frames of her doors. Fortunately Kabuto had already taken a step into her room before this transpired and Sayo was beginning to understand what was happening.

After a few seconds the barrier which her father had created had began to fizzle and crackle defiantly. The two of them watched as the barrier continued to waver and suddenly the seemingly empty space in her door pane had been replaced by a white wall. Whatever seal Kabuto had put on her wall, Sayo was sure that it had interfered with her father's malicious caged bird seal. And she hoped that in one way or another it would allow her to escape from the place she had considered to become a prison.

She then saw him gesture for her to come towards him and without even the slightest hesitation, she had made her way over to her new teacher. Amazement was perhaps what dictated her actions, as she continued to stare at the white translucent wall, she wondered if her suspicions would be confirmed. A part of her was she trying to understand why Kabuto had taken a blood sample from her and then she felt his hand on her shoulder once more.

"Do you trust me Sayo?" he asked quietly.

Sayo nodded and reached for his available hand, causing him to smile greatly.

"Now whatever you do, make sure that you don't let go of my hand for anything"

Sayo nodded fervently and obediently allowed Kabuto to pull her over to the balcony doors, and mimicked his actions as he prepared himself to run. And suddenly without the slightest indication, he had set into motion and they began to run at full speed towards the white wall. And before they passed through the barrier, she closed her eyes out of possible fear of being pulled into the back of the wall.

It was much to her surprise that she felt herself being pulled through, and from the moment that she came into contact with her father's barrier, she was met with a strange sensation. Sure there was the same feeling which she had felt last time when she had tried to force her way out of the barrier, but instead of being pushed back into the room, she felt as it there was hundreds of hands threatening to squash the life out of her. Yet she was promptly made aware of how Kabuto had continued to pull her through and in her fear of being whacked against the wall, she shut her eyes even tighter then before.

_Do not panic Sayo, Kabuto does know what he is doing._

The barrier continued to squash the life out of her, and Kabuto kept pulling her through. And suddenly the incredible pressure desisted and she felt a cool air blow against her face.

"Sayo look back now" she heard Kabuto advise her.

Sayo turned her head back and she saw her a brilliant sight. The white wall had morphed into what seemed to be a twisting wingless dragon.

"How…?" she asked Kabuto breathlessly.

Kabuto laughed:

"Your Monogatari blood is very unique, Sayo and when you are ready you will learn about your true destiny"

…

Sayo was amazed, utterly amazed at how beautiful the hidden leaf village was when all of the residents were hidden away in their houses most likely sleeping. And as Kabuto jumped with her from building to building, she could not help but marvel as this brilliant way of travel. But above everything else, the thing she adored the most was that there wasn't any spectators who were there to jeer at her and mutter cruel things behind her parents' back. Since by the passing weeks, she was becoming more and more convinced that for some reason or another, the villagers: the civilians and the shinobi alike had managed to hoodwink her parents by feigning respect for them and satisfying themselves by emotionally tormenting her.

"The Hyūgas reside over there"

Sayo looked over to where Kabuto was pointing. She looked to the compound, in which six large buildings were fenced of from the main village. She eyed the main house, the smaller house, a temple, small and large storehouses and lastly she saw the Bathhouse-Sauna, which was separated by a large courtyard. And a wide smile appeared on her face when she saw the famed Hyūga guard fast asleep at the gates of their masters' home.

They then leapt to another building and another, and Kabuto pointed to another compound much smaller then the last.

"The Nara clan live there"

Sayo titled her head, fairly disappointed to see a main house accompanied by a massive forest which she identified as the Nara's terrain.

As they continued further and further into the centre of the village, Kabuto had pointed out another clan's dwelling.

"The home of the Yamanakas"

It was modest to be sure. As it was a one floor house spread across a little more space then her own place of residence.

For the remaining duration of their journey, Kabuto showed her all the homes which he thought may have interested her. But in reality, he was showing where her tormentors resided and in time, she would hopefully learn to use this knowledge to her upmost advantage.

And her thought process was suddenly interrupted by Kabuto pulling her back down onto the ground and she felt trickles of energy running through her chakra network. And before they hit the ground running, she noticed that her body had began to faintly glow in white. This revelation along made her wonder if it had been her blood which had created the power to break through her father's caged seal, and she immediately began to wonder just how powerful she could become in the future.

After what seemed to be an eternity of running, Sayo found herself being dragged by Kabuto into a side street. And they continued to run forward, as Sayo observed all of the buildings which they had passed, hoping that knowing about them would somewhat benefit in the future whenever she felt the need to avoid her tormentors. She was also intrigued to learn about how much Kabuto seemed to know about the layout of the hidden leaf village and she was also starting to wonder if it were possible that her teacher had been watching her many years before Orochimaru had coincidentally chosen for him to be his student.

….

It was not long after that the two of them had stopped in their tracks and Sayo found herself looking up at the building which resembled that of a small shrine concealed amongst many large growing trees. Sayo had never seen it before and she turned towards Kabuto and asked very quietly:

"What is this place, Kabuto?"

Kabuto simply smiled:

"This is a building which belongs to the Sarutobi clan"

He gave her no more answers, but instead he took her hand once more and promptly they passed through the entrance and then Sayo saw it.

At their feet there were stairs which seemed to go deep into the darkness below the ground. But the endless night quickly lit up once the entrance door had been firmly shut and then came the sound of Kabuto clapping twice in a very precise manner. And without even the slightest indication, they were on the move again, and before she realised what had occurred, they had reached the bottom.

Before them was a long corridor lit up by a very dim light and as many four doors leading into massive rooms for all sort of shinobi training, or that's what Sayo had imagined.

"Yes, yes the seals on this place will be enough…"

Sayo narrowed her eyes wondering exactly what Kabuto meant by his words.

"Kabuto…?" Sayo called to him and saw his reassuring smile.

Kabuto then moved forward and grabbed for her hand and they were promptly out of the hallway and they had entered the room located right at the centre.

It resembled that of a massive chamber which in most cases would allow a person's voice to echo endlessly. But this particular room relied on low key light and it was almost as it the air inside was crushing them ever so slightly. This sensation was due to the seals which had been present before they had even entered and it would both be ideal to keep their voices from being heard and make their chakra training untraceable to even the most experienced and skilled of shinobi.

Sayo then sought out Kabuto's face and asked him the obvious question:

"So what will I learn first?"

She watched him closely as he approached and responded:

"Well you have learnt the shadow clone jutsu…"

Sayo gulped and realised that he was right.

"But before I teach you anything more, I have to unseal your chakra as learning to control that is by far more important then learning any techniques"

Sayo narrowed her eyes and she was about to back away, until Kabuto placed his two hands onto her arms and she realised that his entire body was beginning to glow in a pale aura.

"But why…?" she demanded.

Kabuto sighed:

"Due to certain circumstances your chakra is subdued…"

Sayo tried to pull away from him but he only held her even more tightly:

"I know many things Sayo, I know a lot more about you then anyone else in the hidden leaf village"

Sayo looked towards the ground.

"Alright I'll…I'll trust you…for now"

Kabuto nodded and told her clearly:

"Please give me your hands"

Sayo slowly lifted up her hands and felt him tightly grip onto them.

"Close your eyes and breathe"

Sayo debated on the matter for a while before conceding to his request. And she shut her eyes tightly and tried her best to relax, even though she could not help but fear that whatever happened next, it would not be the least bit comfortable.

After a long period of utter silence, Sayo suddenly heard a flurry of strange melodic words coming from Kabuto's mouth and her body was starting to feel rather weak. From the books which she had so far managed to lay her hands on, it sounded like a ritual and as she continued to listen to Kabuto's incomprehensible words, she recognised her own name and the words 'dragon', 'Monogatari' and 'Senju'.

And then it hit her with full force.

It was as if her entire body was on fire and all her senses were going wild. The more she tried to resist the overwhelming agony, the more she felt that burning sensation spreading through her arms, her legs and slowly but surely it even reached her head.

"Sayo…Sayo…accept it…accept the pain"

If her eyes had been fully opened then she would have realised that a strained frown had appeared on her face as she was sure that it was none other then Hashirama's voice which had resonated from the depths of her ears.

Gradually she allowed the pain to fully consume her body and gradually she realised that the burning sensation was slowly becoming a pleasant feeling. Her senses had become amplified to such an extreme that Kabuto's strange ritual language suddenly began to make sense.

"Take her, take her and give her the power. Ancient dragons and Sages, I have brought you your child…"

Sayo continued to listened to Kabuto's rant and even though not many of the things which he was saying made sense, she was starting to realise something…something which she had never considered to be possible.

From his hands she felt a cool comforting sensation slowing creeping into her own and after the initial pain had finally started to pass, her mind began to consider what was happening to her. She had read about chakra and how a ninja used it to cast jutsu and essentially fight against enemies, but she had never thought that it was Kabuto's very own chakra which had caused hers to come to the surface.

_Why is this chakra so familiar?_

Hashirama seemed to be silent and waiting…

"I call to you ancient dragon…come out…come out and greet the newest member of your fold"

The overwhelming sensation returned and even though it was not necessarily pain which she was experiencing, she could not help but succumb to the pressure and without even knowing her own actions, she opened her mouth and began to scream.

….

When Kabuto had began the ritual, he had known the entering a private place where no sensory types could track them down had been essential. He had a specific mission and he knew better then to let the wrong people know that Sayo was an heir, a true dragon heir.

He had spoken the words and concentrated on wielding as much of his own chakra as he possibly could and then he invoked the spirits. He allowed his chakra to reach for hers and closing his own eyes, he had concentrated on bringing hers to the surface by tracking down each an every one of the principal chakra points located in her body.

Using every ounce of his own power, he opened each one of her pathways and after a while he was able to sense the great Senju patriarch's chakra imprint coming to the surface. And once Kabuto was sure that Hashirama would cooperate, he had began to speak special words which would draw out her power, the godly power which Jiraiya lacked and the villagers pertaining to Konoha had heard so much about.

And after half an hour of summoning each one of her ancestors, the Senjus and the Monogataris alike, he opened his eyes for a brief moment and saw the most brilliant sight.

Sayo's tiny body had been enveloped in a magnificent shade of pure white and compared to his own chakra, it was great, extremely so. Soon he shut his eyes once more and that was when he saw him…right within his mind's eye…

He was a tall man with waist-length black hair, tanned skin and dark eyes. From his samurai-like attire and the Senju symbol. Kabuto was sure that the great Senju leader had come to him and him specifically.

"Hmm…yes…yes…you are the right one…I am glad…glad that he chose you"

At that moment the link was broken and Kabuto's ears were exposed to the heart piercing scream of none other then Sayo.

Suddenly their positions reversed and Kabuto felt an extraordinary amount of power transferring into his own chakra network and he knew exactly who it belonged to.

He opened his eyes anew and it was within a split second that he saw it, a flash of her true soul, wrapping itself around her tiny body and there was only one thought which came into his mind.

_I have succeeded…master will be so very pleased with me…_

….

As Sayo continued to scream, her chakra rose to the surface and everything around her became alive. But at the exact moment that she finally dared to open her eyes, her entire body was overtaken by an extreme weakness, and regardless of her eyes being open or closed…

…the darkness came… and no matter how hard she tried to fight against it, she eventually succumbed and all she could hear was Hashirama's high pitched laughter and recognised his joy.

_At long last…little one…you will start down your very own path to power…_

**In the words of Jiraiya the Toad Sage: 'It's a question of quid pro quo...I'll give you what you want but in return you have to try and get me what I want..."**

**HERE WE ARE, THE END OF ANOTHER LONG CHAPTER! ANYHOW, I'LL START WORKING ON CHAPTER THREE ONCE I RECEIVE MY MINUIMUM OF FIVE REVIEWS (THOUGH IF THERE ARE MORE THAT WOULD MAKE ME VERY HAPPY INDEED!)**

**So please REVIEW and hopefully soon enough you'll read a little more of Sayo's long adventure down her very own path to power!**


	3. Chakra Control

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However my original character Sayo and story belongs to me.**

**Thank you gunslayer12, SmileRen, 4DarkMirror6, The Half-Fallen Angel, xxxTasha101xxx, Freddie4153 for your wonderful reviews, they really gave me the incentive to finish and post this next chapter.**

**Here are some responses to your reviews!**

**gunslayer12: Thank you for your review! First off please do give me a little more credit about me mimicking the whole Sayo will save the world from an ancient evil. I have read many books with that theme and they always end up dragging on and becoming really boring. No her eventual role will be something different and more relevant to the storyline. Also it seems as if you believe that Jiraiya is both an over protective parent and a bad father but perhaps the best word to describe him is overbearing. Though admittedly I have taken neither side as the rupture in his and Sayo's relationship is clearly because Jiraya missed something crucial and Sayo has come to the point where she is choosing to fight her own battles rather then let him do it for her. As for enemies within the hidden leaf village, well you do have a point there, especially since all of those shinobi she heard criticising her during the public presentation in part one may essentially view her as a threat to their existence if she grew to be more powerful then her parents and then turn on them for spreading malicious rumours about her across the village. Anyway thank you so very much for your review and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS FOLLOWING CHAPTER!**

**SmileRen: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you thought my previous chapter was good and hopefully you'll think that this one is even better. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS FOLLOWING CHAPTER!**

**4DarkMirror6: Thank you for your review! Your words of praise really do flatter me and give me the confidence in my writing and storytelling to continue onwards and not give up! I'm glad you thought my last chapter was well written especially since I spend roughly 40 minutes to an hour proof-reading my chapters now! Also I agree that Jiraiya's extreme clinginess over Sayo is quite humorous especially since she is determined to hurt him emotionally. Yes Kabuto has awakened her chakra and this is part of the reason why he is now instructing her in the basics so that she can eventually master her own chakra without it overwhelming her. Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy the next chapter and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

**The Half-Fallen Angel: Thank you for your review! I hope you had fun playing Wizard101, I'm more of a Sims player. Anyhow onto your review, whilst I am not entirely sure yet whether there will be a combat scene between Jiraiya and Sayo, I can assure you that there will be many other combat scenes between her and other Naruto characters some who are even of a similar level to that of the Sannin. However Sayo needs to be rigorously trained if she ever wants to fight and win against these sort of opponents. So they will most likely take place in parts four and five. Thanks for your review and I hope you enjoy the next chapter, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

**xxxTasha101xxx: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter and I really hope you enjoy this next chapter and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

**Freddie4153: Thank you for your review! I hope you'll be pleased for this next chapter. As for Sayo and Naruto ending up with each other...well you'll just have to wait and see. Whilst what teams the two of them will be on will be determined in part three of the story. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER!**

**And finally my dear readers the time has come for the next chapter. So feast your eyes and enjoy, and please do let me know you think! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

When Sayo first woke up, she wasn't exactly sure whether or not she was still within the land of dreams. Usually she spent her nights running around and playing with Hashirama deep within her mind scape but for the past month or so, things had altered slightly. There were many times in which she would find herself alone and witness to many magnificent battles amongst what appeared to be ancient dragons fighting to defend their territory. And in most cases, these unexplained dreams were what caused her to wake up with an unimaginable headache and the uneasy feeling that all of her senses had been numbed to shield her from the power which was slowly waking and settling within the depths of her very soul.

It was this very same headache which was now clouding her usually sharp mind and weakened her normal headstrong temperament.

She turned her head towards her balcony doors and watched as the cool night's breeze blew at the curtains and revealed to her the full moon which was still high up in the sky. If she had been able to think clearly at that moment, she would have considered what exactly had roused her to the world of consciousness, but as it happened, her searing migraine would not allow her to ponder upon such matters.

"Sayo…Sayo…"

She immediately recognised Hashirama's voice, even though it seemed so incredibly distant.

"Please ignore the headache…"

His voice trailed away and Sayo strained to fully comprehend what he was trying to tell her.

"…and go…back to sleep"

Hashirama's voice was incredibly quiet and if any one else was able to hear his tone, then they would have surely noticed how desperately he was attempting to protect Sayo in her greatest time of weakness…the time in which their chakra bond lessened to such an extent that his influence was minimal, if not useless.

"Sayo…please…sleep"

Instead of trying to make sense of her guardian's faltering tone, Sayo's attention had been diverted to the glowing light which occasionally lit up her room lick a flickering light bulb.

After five minutes of scanning her surroundings, her eyes finally fell onto her own body and it was not long after that she realised that she was the one who was glowing. If Kabuto had explained it more clearly to her then she would have known that this glowing signified that her body was adjusting to her unsealed chakra, and showing her weakened state to anyone was not the best idea.

It was not long after that she pulled away the covers and gradually she placed her feet into her slippers. Yet as she attempted to clamber out of her bed, she felt herself stumbling as she fell back onto her bed. Her head continued to pound until no end.

When Sayo finally rose to her feet once more, she was overcome by extreme dizziness and weakness but there was something that she craved, and this was her driving force alone.

A great deal of time seemed to pass by, when Sayo found herself stumbling out of her room, once she had succeeded in pushing the door open. The dizziness persisted as she made her way across the landing and found herself holding onto the banister of the stairs leading to the ground floor.

"Sayo…please…your chakra…it's adjusting…I don't think I can restraint it…"

She heard Hashirama's voice once more and she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What's…what's happening to me?" she asked in an almost inaudible tone.

"Kabuto unsealed your chakra and I must adjust from your dormant state to your awakening one"

Even though his words had initially come out clear, the last part had been drowned out and she soon eyed the stairs once more. And without even thinking of the possible consequences, she began to make her way down them, one step at a time.

From the moment that she reached the bottom, her craving or more specifically what she had been craving for became abundantly apparent. Her mouth watered and her stomach growled and then she realised that every fibre of her being was longing for food, or that was what she thought.

"Sayo, you need to sleep…your hunger can wait…"

By this point Sayo had decided to completely ignore Hashirama's voice, as her instincts were telling that food would make it all better and she would be able to think clearly once more. She had felt these dizzy spells before, ever since Kabuto had dragged her chakra to the surface, but this was by far the worst and even though she didn't know it yet, it would be the last time this would occur.

And it was not long after that she staggered forward and in her mind she kept seeing the kitchen, and Hashirama was very far away from her now.

Once she had passed through the threshold of the kitchen, her eyes immediately fell onto the fridge on the other side. But without even the slightest warning, her vision blurred and her surroundings were effected as a result. And she placed her hand onto the door frame and willed the pounding headache to go away and give her the strength to at least make it over to the fridge without collapsing from the overwhelming pressure which had began to creep across her body.

Soon enough she found herself taking one steady step after another, and she reached forward to the fridge and pulled the door open to reveal the contents inside.

As always it was filled to the brim with soups, preprepared meat, vegetables and of course water. Her father was usually very particular that there was always food available and whenever Shizune spent extended periods of time at home, she would stock up with fresh food in case anyone of them got peckish during assigned meal times.

With so many options, Sayo found her mind becoming muddled once more and the pounding headache she had managed to keep away for a brief moment, began to come back at full blast and this time it was worse…much worse.

She had considered that the headache was unbearable, but the sudden increase in her heart beat made her feel light headed and the brief concentration span was seemingly for nothing. She may not have heeded Hashirama's words before, even if half of them had been drowned out by this power surge, as she was sure that this was what she was having. It seemed that with every heart beat more and more of her chakra pathways opened up and expanded, and since her chakra had been inactive since birth, the entire process was proving to be painful, as it was coming to the surface of it's own free will.

It was not long after that that her ears became fuzzy and all of her muscles were resisting her command. An irritable ringing had began to sound within her ears and any attempts of Hashirama's voice trying to get through to her was now proving to be a futile effort indeed! In truth all the other times this had occurred, she had been fast asleep and he had managed to control the surges. But now that she was out of the safe zone and in the open, any one could witness her glowing self even her own father.

After ten minutes of trying to push away the sudden weakness, Sayo found herself turning away from the fridge with only one thing on her mind. She needed to return to her bed and quickly, and the hunger she felt could wait and she shouldn't have come down the stairs and risked herself.

But before she could even take her first step forward, every ounce of strength left her.

She had thought that she would go crashing into the cold kitchen floor but instead, she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her tiny form. And instead of the coldness she was expecting, she felt warmth, a familiar warmth no doubt.

These strong arms wrapped themselves around her tired and hungry body and the initial glowing which she had noticed had desisted almost automatically. As Hashirama was starting to reestablish their bond once more and had decided that it was better for no other shinobi to see her chakra surges then for the wrong one to. But that did not stop the sensation of spinning to persist and even though if she were fully conscious, she was relieved that someone else was present and helped her in her time of need. Yet there was a great possibility that she would later on regret who had seen her in such a state.

The spinning continued and her vision became disorientated, and even if she had wanted to identify who those warm muscular arms belonged to, she was too far gone with the pressure of her chakra still rushing through her body and the hunger which just would not leave her alone. No matter how hard she had tried to push it away.

And before she knew what was happening, she felt herself being pushed into a chair and a blanket being tightly wrapped around her. Whoever this person was, it seemed as if he cared about her a great deal.

After what seemed to be an incredibly long time, she felt a cold sensation being pushed against her mouth and from the smell of the warm soup alone, she opened it and allowed the contents to enter her clearly famished body.

As the spoonfuls of delicious smelling soup was offered to her, the more readily she consumed the food. If she had been fully conscious at the time she would have rejected any chances of being spoon fed like a baby and she would have recoiled at how careless she was being by accepting any help from him. But since her mind had long since succumbed to the overwhelming pressure of her chakra having being awoken and her senses had been numbed with the remaining craving of hunger. Her baser instincts didn't care about technicalities but rather survival, even if that meant going against everything she had worked for.

The warm food was prompted replaced by a piping hot tea which smelled like strong medicinal herbs. Some time later on, Sayo would come to learn that this was a simple remedy to encourage a fever to be controlled and eventually dispersed, as anyone who wasn't experiencing the chakra awakening like her and Hashirama, then they would have merely thought that she was sick with fever and nothing more.

Once she finished the tea, she realised that her otherwise extremely blurred vision was starting to clear and she knew that sooner or later she would be able to see the face of who had helped her during her time of weakness. And had even gone as far as to wipe any of the drool which had resulted from being spoon fed and not entirely conscious of the surroundings around her.

She then felt these same strong arms wrap around her tiny limp form and she was gradually lifted onto her feet. And at first she expected these unidentified arms to let her go and she would be alone, as she had been pushing all of those around her as far away as she possibly could. Obviously the dizziness still persisted, but her headache was starting to fade away and her vision was almost crystal clear now and slowly, very slowly she saw his face.

"Da…daddy…?" she found herself muttering incredibly softly.

It was then that she saw the sadness in his eyes and the complete adoration he had for her. In her normal state of mind she would have simply sneered, when she saw what appeared to be large tears cascading down his long face. But instead her head was overtaken by utter guilt and going against everything she had been working for, she closed her eyes and buried her head into his chest letting the darkness of sleep take her once more.

She may have broken her pact of silence against her father but since she had been under the influence of her chakra surge, she would most likely not remember what had occurred but her father now held something against her. And whether or not he used it in their power struggle was yet to be seen.

….

When Sayo had woken up later on that day, she was met with the beaming smile on her father's face. Her first reaction had been, why was he standing over her bed waiting for her like in the past? What had changed which she didn't know about? And would she be able to maintain her cool with her father's tactics completely changing to being easily hurt and keeping himself on the sidelines while it was obvious that now for some unknown reason (as she couldn't recall last night's events), he was incredibly happy with a rekindled sensation of winning her back.

Her initial confusion was soon overtaken by irritation, as her father had even pushed his way into her bathroom as she completed her usual morning ritual. After having avoided her father's direct gaze for such a very long time, it was rather easy for her to do the same. She had always had the sinking sensation that she would always remain the Sannin's shadow but now it appeared as if her father had taken over that role.

But before she had exited her room, she could hear his merry tone calling after her:

"Good morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?"

As she made her way down the stairs she could not help but consider how incredibly happy her father was and no matter how many times she tried to ponder as to what could have changed between them. She had even attempted to find Hashirama in the depths of her mind, but for some strange reason he wasn't responding and this was what had given her the inkling that she had messed up somehow. And she knew that she would have to work hard to push him away once more and perhaps reestablish the distance between them.

_What happened Hashirama?_

It was not long after she had reached the living room that she had found herself reaching for a book labelled as 'Chakra and the fundamentals'. Reading was still a pastime she relied on heavily even if Kabuto was training her on odd nights, and this was part of the reason why she made sure that she always got dressed and ate a full breakfast, so she could spend the whole day absorbing as much information as possible. Plus it was the ideal way to avoid any sort of awkward conversations between her and her father.

She lay onto the sofa and started reading the introduction:

_Eons and eons ago it was discovered that chakra was not a part of a human's spirit but could rather be used a weapon to fight against potential enemies. It was through this medium that mange great ninja, including the man who became known as the Sage of six paths, rose to greatness and protected their nations and fought against other nations and established what we know today as the shinobi culture. _

She continued to read about the many great ninja who possessed a great levels of chakra and after the awakening Kabuto had given her, she was wondering if she would be like one of these great shinobi.

However even though she was using reading as a way in which to distract herself from everything which was going on around her. That didn't mean that she wasn't becoming more and more conscious of just how close her father and his annoying joyous mood was to her now.

He had followed her from her bedroom, to the kitchen where they had eaten breakfast, and now he was sitting or more specifically leaning against the back of the sofa, the very same sofa she was lying on. And there was a very high chance that stepping off the sofa at that moment would mean that he would wrap his arms around her small body and never let her go.

Yet what concerned her the most was that resting on his knees was none other then a pad of paper and from the first line that he had written 'Makeout', a pit of burning angry began to burn inside her stomach. And her fury began to grow when she saw him writing the first line and then the next and then the next, and she was trying to think about the reason as to why he had chosen that particular spot and time to start working on the next atrocity he considered to be fine literature.

And the more she observed his face, the more she realised that his massive grin was not merely his way of showing how happy he was, but rather it was being directed at her. It seemed as if he were subtly teasing her or perhaps it was something more serious then that…

She continued to half read and half watch her father, as he continued to write his manuscript. His grin grew wider and wider and wider, and it was not long after that, she realised that he was secretly watching her as well.

Once she had become aware of this, she quickly set to work on control her fury through deep breathing and she was determined that he would not get his way. Soon she turned her attention back to the book she was reading and continued to learn all about what elements of the body made up chakra. And her initial annoyance at her father indulging in his porn writing washed away and it had been replaced by the sensation of victory. Sure her father had attempted to coax a tantrum out of her and get her to speak in the process, but she was far smarter then that, and she would be the one to decided if and when she finally broke her silence.

After she had made her way through the first five chapters of the very informative book, she found that the surroundings around her began to blur and for a moment everything had gone dark. And it was soon after that she found herself walking in large bright fields and promptly she had come face to face with none other then Hashirama Senju.

Like most times he was smiling but she could tell that there was a flicker of knowing in those large dark eyes of his and she hoped to learn some of the information he had not told her about yet.

"Hello there Sayo…" he called to her in his usual soft friendly voice.

"Hashirama…" she acknowledged his greeting.

Hashirama continued to eye her with great precision and Sayo prepared herself to ask the questions which had been eating away at her for the past few weeks.

"Did…did Kabuto really awaken my chakra network?" she asked quickly.

Hashirama nodded and swiftly filled the gap between them, and reached for her hand.

"Yes…he most definitely did"

Sayo's eyes fell from his form and looked onto the ground, and she twiddled her thumbs feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Sayo…"

It was soon after that she felt his hand on her cheek, and slowly she looked up at him once more with a certain desperation in her eyes.

"I know that not many people can be trusted but Kabuto is one of the exceptions"

Sayo rocked back and forth on her feet, and a faint blush appeared on her face.

"Are you…are you absolutely sure?" she asked him with a timid tone.

"Yes" he answered her in an adamant voice.

Sayo found her chin being lifted up a little and she could see the warmth in the depth of his eyes.

"Even though you may or may not remember them, you have had what is known as chakra surges"

Sayo had read a little about 'chakra surges' and she continued to relish in his caressing hand.

"Why wouldn't I remember them?"

Yet at that point Hashirama did not seem to be inclined to respond to her question, and this had made her think that she had perhaps slipped up in one of these chakra surges and said something to her father and made him get the wrong idea about everything.

"Sayo…you have been granted an opportunity which many other children your age would have done anything for…"

Sayo nodded slowly, listening to each one of his words.

"Kabuto is completely dedicated to you and I can tell you now that he is the best person to trust and teach you the basics which will contribute to your shinobi career"

Sayo pondered upon his words and once she was somewhat satisfied, her mind wandered back to her current dilemma, and she turned to him anew.

"Hashirama…" she got his attention once more.

"Yes my dear…"

She glanced above his head and asked the one question she really hoped he would answer.

"Do you know why my father is acting so incredibly chummy with me?"

Hashirama's face went through three stages, the first…being confusion, the second, understanding and the third being complete and utter denial.

"Maybe he's just in a good mood…or he slept well…either way it doesn't really matter"

Sayo heard his words but it sounded more like rambling, almost as if he wanted to avoid the subject all together and perhaps in the process avoid her wrath!

….

The first time that Sayo had awoken that day (well that one that she remembered), she had been met by the beaming face of none other then her father, the lord Master Jiraiya. However this time round, what roused her was not a shadow standing over her bed, but rather a familiar chakra signature…one which had responded so well to her very own.

And then suddenly her eyes shoot open and she sat up incredibly quickly and her eyes fell onto none other then Kabuto, the man who had finally brought a ray of hope back to her life.

After the drowsiness had passed, she jumped out of the bed covers and immediately opened up the doors of her wardrobe and within a few moments she had stepped out of her nightclothes, tossed them onto the bed and put on a pink warm frilly dress. In most circumstances, she would have rejected at wearing anything so incredibly babyish, but she had a feeling that she traipsing around in her pyjamas would not benefit her in her training.

By the time she had turned to face Kabuto once more, she noticed that he was polite enough to close his eyes and most likely had them closed when she had changed.

It was not long after that he removed a familiar pad of paper seals from his pounce, and without much delay, he slapped it on the wall. And once it pulsed, and the walls glowed for a moment, Sayo decided to ask the obvious question:

"How…how does the silencing seal work?"

Kabuto nodded and carefully ran his hand along the seal.

"There are three Japanese symbols painted on here…the first being silence, the second being hidden and the third, vacuum"

Sayo tilted her head in confusion:

"Vacuum…?"

Kabuto smiled:

"Most silencing seals work only long range but this one is a vacuum and this means that even if someone on this floor were awake at this moment, and put their ear to the door, they would hear absolutely nothing"

Sayo pondered upon Kabuto's words for a few moments, amazed at how meticulously he had seemingly planned out everything to train her right under her parents' nose. And after a while, she realised that her teacher was eyeing her, almost as if he was trying to scan the status of her chakra network at that moment in time and then he asked her:

"How has your chakra awakening been? Have you experienced any chakra surges?"

She began to fiddle with the ends of her hair nervously as she sought out Hashirama, knowing full well that he would most likely be the one to answer that sort of question. And after zoning out for a few seconds, she blinked once and realised that Kabuto was very close to her face now.

"Erm…erm…" she began to stutter.

Kabuto smiled and backed away from her, giving her some breathing space.

"Well…?"

"I think I might have had four or five chakra surges…"

Kabuto nodded and responded:

"I assume you were asleep each time…right?"

Sayo heard no confirmation from Hashirama and reluctantly she nodded.

Kabuto gazed at her for a few moments and then made his way to her balcony, removed the pad of seals, the same one containing her blood and pulled one out and slapped it onto the wall, and soon enough the walls were lapped with the same white translucent chakra. It spread across the four walls and soon enough the open gape of the frame with her balcony doors, and she silently cursed her father for still maintaining the caged bird seal regardless of his happy demeanour that morning.

_Maybe it's his insurance…then that means that his blissful state was merely to loosen my tongue. _

Sayo grimaced at the thought and slowly it was strengthening her resolve to fight against her father's domineering hold.

"I'm surprised…"

She was forced out of her thoughts and realised that Kabuto was becoming better and better at attracting her attention.

"What about?" she tilted her head intrigued.

"Well…last time we meet you were so unwillingly to trust me that I was sure that you would at least interrogate me about where I got all of these paper seals from…"

Sayo merely smiled remembering Hashirama's reassuring words, and answered:

"The silencing seals and this one don't seem to be standard shinobi seals…"

Kabuto shook his head:

"You're right…they were made specially those who have assigned me to train you in the basics of shinobi skills"

Sayo's eyes widened in utter intrigue and many thoughts began to run through her mind, and it wasn't anything to do with the paper seals.

"You're…you're not loyal to Orochimaru are you?" she managed to mumble.

Kabuto shook his head:

"He is completely oblivious about my promise to you…"

He stayed silent for a few seconds, as his eyes temporarily fell to the floor and then he responded:

"…and neither your father and he will never find out…"

For a brief moment he looked up once more, and their eyes meet for a short amount of time.

Neither one of them chose to speak further and Sayo braced herself and swiftly followed the hand signs he had taught her some time before. And it was within a puff of smoke that her own clone appeared with a beaming smiled on her face.

"Have fun you two"

Her clone leaned against the wall and watched the two of them with great interest.

And soon after she saw Kabuto lifting his hand and motioned for her to approach him. She was more inclined to obey his commands, and soon enough they were holding hands.

Within a matter of moments, they began to run towards the open balcony doors and swiftly enough she felt her being hit by the same incredible pressure once more. And like before, Kabuto continued to pull her through the persistent barrier and made her realise that her father didn't have nearly enough power over her as he may have originally believed.

Her clone watched the two of them with a victorious smile upon her face and soon hid under the covers once more. She had been made for one particular reason, and that was to act like her mistress and make sure that her father wouldn't be suspicious when he wondered in, in a few hours time…

….

Two months ago Kabuto had thought that the Sarutobi underground training ground to awaken her chakra network had been ideal, however Sayo was intrigued to find that on this night he had chosen another building located on the outskirts of the hidden leaf village, a place where her clandestine training would not be easily discovered. They had to first pass through very tall walls and then they descended down the stairs, Sayo was amazed at how many secret buildings her teacher knew about and in a few years time, she would learn that they had accessed the top secret compound of none other then Danzō Shimaru.

Once they had reached the bottom of the stairs and she had heard the doors slamming shut, she turned her attention to her teacher and saw his smiling face.

"Kabuto…" she began.

Kabuto's smile only grew wider.

"What is it Sayo?"

Sayo gulped and then continued:

"How does my mother have glowing hands?"

Kabuto tilted his head and frowned slightly and Sayo was sure that she had began to blush. She was beginning to wonder if she had asked a stupid question.

"Glowing hands…of a green colour, right?"

Sayo nodded, still panicking that she had asked the wrong question.

Kabuto took her hand into his and they headed into a low lit hall and Sayo was wondering why he hadn't yet given her an indication of whether or not her question made sense. And it was then that she saw him showing her his hands and she waited patiently to see what he would do.

"You may or may not be aware that along with your mother's Senju heritage and her Summoning jutsu, she has also been revered as a top class medical ninja"

Sayo continued to nod and nod and nod, and froze at the mention of medical ninja.

"This…"

Kabuto's hands began to glow in the similar shade of green which she had seen her mother using and she watched amazed.

"…is medical ninjutsu"

Sayo gasped and slowly she lifted her own hands and was incredibly tempted to touch his hands, and stopped herself.

"Medical ninjutsu is primarily used to heal Sayo not to harm"

Sayo then breathed in and gripped on of his hands, and felt a warm tingly sensation creeping into her own.

"It's feels really good"

Kabuto chuckled softly:

"There are a lot fewer medical ninjas then there are standard ninjas in this world…"

Sayo continued to feel the lovely sensation which was actually Kabuto's own chakra reacting with her own.

"…and I believe that learning medical ninjutsu as a base for your training will ensure that you will have the knowledge required to control your chakra"

It took a few minutes for Sayo to realise the true implication of his words and once she did, she brought her hands to her chest, slightly uneasy about learning something which she was sure she needed to have years of the general shinobi training to do.

"You don't believe you can do it, do you?"

Sayo's eyes fell to the floor as her mind was being overcome by doubt.

"Sayo please give me your hands"

She looked up and saw his confident grin, and she placed her hands into his.

"For the last two months your chakra network has managed to stabilise"

Sayo nodded and listened very carefully to his next words.

"And with your special energy, I am sure that you will be able to channel your chakra to your hands"

She frowned and considered how even though Kabuto was being fairly vague, she couldn't help but wonder if he was subtly referring to none other then Hashirama.

"O…Okay" she finally muttered.

Kabuto took her hands into his own once again and it was almost an automatic reaction for her to shut her eyes tightly and begin to seek out Hashirama from the depths of her mind.

_Hashirama…Hashirama…_

Soon after an image of him appeared and she could see his reassuring smile. And it was within a matter of moments that she felt an overwhelming sensation creep over her entire body and she soon experienced a familiar cool feeling accompanying the seemingly engulfing pressure.

From the outside, her entire body began to glow and her white chakra began to surface. The surges had been a great inconvenience and had even put her in an awkward position, but now, with Hashirama's help, her chakra was beginning to bend to her will and eventually shine even more in the tips of her fingers and eventually her hands been enveloped as well.

"Remember the feeling you had when you held onto my hands…"

Sayo nodded, even though her eyes were still tightly closed.

"…now imagine the same sensation and project it into your own"

_He's right…you know. Imagine you want to save Naruto from dying…_

At the mention of Naruto, she was overtaken by the sudden urge to protect and save her closest and true friend and she felt as if her hands were both hot and cold at the same time.

"Congratulations my dear…you have succeeded"

Sayo suddenly opened her eyes and she was truly stunned to see her hands glowing in the same shade of green which she had seen from Kabuto.

"This my dear is the basis of medical ninjutsu"

She could not help but be incredibly stunned at how Hashirama had helped bring her chakra to a steady flow and also the beaming face of her sensei, because in truth he was teaching her a great deal in such a short amount of time.

"I…I did it?" Sayo could not help but hesitate a bit as she was still in awe at the green shade of her chakra.

"Yes Sayo, you did"

She was overcome by sudden joy and there was no doubt that within her mind, with Hashirama watching her in a distance, she was jumping up and down and screaming victory. After all Kabuto was teaching her something which she had thought impossible to learn at her level and she was seemingly succeeding…

….

Suddenly their silence was interrupted by none other then Kabuto lifting his hand and snapping his fingers together, and within this action alone, the entire room lit up and from the darkened corners appeared many different sorts of apparatus to do with none other then the medical profession.

Slowly she made her way forwards and saw two tables, one containing salt water and a dying fish whilst on the other table, there was an injured dog. Most children her age would have screamed in horror at the state of these creatures but Sayo knew that these were rites of passage to solidify her knowledge of medical ninjutsu.

"Start with the fish and try to channel your chakra to revive it"

Sayo nodded and headed towards that particular table and resisted the incredible urge to demand how exactly he had managed to prepare everything for her. And how it was that he was succeeding in keeping their training a secret.

She placed her hands gently on the top of the slimy fish, closed her eyes and channelled her chakra once more, and it was within a matter of minutes, that her hands began to glow. And suddenly her chakra surged and before she knew what was happening she was pushed away from the scene.

"That was a good first try, Sayo"

Her eyes snapped open and she realised that Kabuto had stopped her from being pushed against the wall.

"But isn't reviving a fish the first stage?"

Kabuto helped her stand still and slowly directed her towards the other table.

"Maybe healing his leg will work"

Sayo was pushed towards the dog and she began to summon her chakra once more and she was fairly pleased that it was hurting less and less and she was certain that even if she initially failed with medical ninjutsu, the training associated it would be assisted her to master other techniques relating to the shinobi.

She placed her hands over the wound and her chakra around her hands promptly turned to the familiar colour of lime. And she concentrated once more in using that chakra to heal and once she opened her eyes, she was extremely disappointed that she had once again failed in her attempt.

At first she thought she would begin to cry in her inability to achieve the task and she thought that no matter how hard she tried she would always fail, and then she felt a tender hand being placed onto her shoulder.

Kabuto continued to drag her towards him and once they were far enough away from the two tables, he released her and instead whipped out a kunai from the back of his trousers. Sayo initially thought that he might attack her but that was most definitely not the case.

She watched as Kabuto removed his glove from his right hand and it was almost instantaneously that he put the kunai to his hand and made a vicious cut, causing every hair on her body to stand up on ends and her heart beat was truly going through the roof. And she couldn't understand why he was being so incredibly rash.

He then offered her his injured hand and she saw his encouraging smile.

She shakily lifted her hand. She couldn't understand what was happening to her but since Kabuto was actually on her side, she felt a mixture of guilt, shock and the overwhelming urge to heal the cut which for some strange reason or another he had inflicted on himself.

From the moment that her hand was close enough, the green healing chakra grew more and more stable and before she knew what was going on, the ugly cut had began to close up and completely disappear, leaving only the blood stain behind.

"Congratulations Sayo…I knew you could do it"

Sayo had heard his words but they were very distant and her line of vision was starting to become a little hazy. And her surroundings were beginning to morph and to change and for the first time all day, she could hear his voice clearly.

"Come…come to me Sayo"

Hearing his voice made her completely complacent, as she was determined to drag out whatever it was that he had been withholding from her.

It was within a matter of moments that the darkness was soon replaced by none other then the familiar fields which usually gave her so much peace and serenity, especially when all she wanted to do was to escape the difficulties which she was forced to face in her life.

She quickly started to search around for the man who had summoned her right into the very depths of her mind scape. And it was not before long that he appeared wearing flowing blue kimono shirt and brown trousers, and the usual relaxing smile which she would normally find on his face.

"Hello there Sayo"

Sayo nodded and wondered what sort of secret he had been holding onto all day long.

"You have done very well today. You have not only managed to channel your chakra but you have also managed to create the special medical ninjutsu…"

Within a few moments, Sayo had raised her hand and it had caused Hashirama to stop talking.

"I have achieved nothing Hashirama…I failed in resurrecting the fish and healing that dog's leg"

He tilted his head in confusion and she heard him sighing:

"Sayo…" she heard him calling to her with both a jolly and all knowing tone, and before she could do anything, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his chest, no doubt causing their chakras to react with one another.

"What…?" she responded in an irritated tone as she was becoming more and more convinced that there was something which had happened between her and her father, something which Hashirama was refusing to tell her.

His smile only grew wider:

"You should be glad that you succeeded in healing Kabuto's cut which is essentially the third stage of medical ninjutsu"

Sayo's heart nearly skipped a beat when she realised the implication of his words.

"You…you mean that even though I failed in the basics, I mastered the advanced stage…"

No matter how hard she attempted to make sense of the situation, she could not help but be extremely confused at how she had managed to jump up to advanced level. And then she felt Hashirama caressing her cheek and the next words he spoke sounded legit.

"My dear, you are a genius through and through and in your case you have the blood of two of the most powerful clans running through your veins. Most would-be ninjas learn through set assessments and the usual training routines, but there are some shinobi whose learning is different and instead of complaining about not fitting in with the norm, they should embrace their superiority and not wallow in self doubt…"

Sayo's mouth began to open wider and wider in complete and utter awe as she could not believe the words that she was hearing from her confidant.

"You are one of these very special individuals and you should embrace your prodigious nature and trust yourself in the tasks which you attempt to achieve…"

Happy tears began to cascade down her face and she was overcome by pure bliss.

"…you are meant for greatness and I am here to help you get there"

And Sayo temporarily relaxed and then made up her mind to ask the one thing which had been bugging her since she had woken up that morning with her father standing beside her bed.

"Well since it seems that you are in the mood to be honest with me…"

Hashirama nodded letting her know that his praises were indeed truthful.

"What would you like to know Sayo?"

Sayo's face darkened as voiced her fears:

"What…what made my father seem so annoyingly confident this morning?"

Hashirama tried to shift his gaze from her overwhelming stare.

"Well…well…" he began to stutter and Sayo's stare only grew that much more relentless.

Sayo eyed him very closely and crossed her arms waiting for him to respond truthfully:

"…very early this morning you woke up and even though I tried so very hard to stop you but…"

Sayo was starting to put two and two together until finally she managed to say:

"I was sleep walking…wasn't I?"

A large frown began to appear across her face as Hashirama's explanation was not making much sense.

"Yes…" he responded uneasily.

Sayo's eyes began to widen and she questioned him directly:

"What happened between me and the father?"

Hashirama began to fiddle with his hands nervously:

"Well…well…since you were hungry you went down to the kitchen but you weren't exactly strong enough to feed yourself…"

Her eyes were growing larger and larger and larger.

"You mean he spoon fed me?"

Hashirama nodded once again but his facial expression were becoming incredibly solemn.

"That's way too depressing to think about…"

Then silence ensued…until Hashirama reached for her hand and they were gazing into each other's eyes once more.

"I really didn't want to tell you…."

Now Sayo was beginning to brace herself for the worst outcome.

"…but in your feverish mind and before you passed out, you two saw each other and you called out to him"

Sayo was beginning to panic:

"I didn't…I didn't call him daddy, did I?"

Hashirama did not have to vocalise his response and that had caused her to breath quickly and almost go into a full blown panic attack. And before she could collapse to the ground from the utter helplessness which was causing her entire body to shake.

"Sayo…Sayo…breathe…" she heard Hashirama's voice calling out to her.

She tried to calm herself and finally she admitted her worse nightmare.

"All…all my efforts have been in vain…I am never going to be able to establish my path…I will never be more then the helpless baby of the perverted toad sage"

And it was before Sayo could break into frustrated sobs, Hashirama had hurried forward and brought her into his tight embrace. Her tears did come but he only held her closer to his chest and he spoke some words which would hopefully bring back the belief which she had gained in breaking off from the Sannin's hold or more specifically that of her father.

"Sayo…you are not even six years old yet and I will tell you this…"

Sayo continued to bury herself in his warm arms.

"…forget this incident, do not let it shatter the confidence which you have managed to gain in yourself. Hold onto both the anger towards your father and the villagers and hold onto your determination…"

She slowly pulled away from his embrace and saw his all so confident smile:

"…remember your that determination you had to show every your self worth and continue your path forward and I am convinced that eventually you will succeed in stepping out of the shadow of those known as the legendary Sannin"

**In the words of Jiraiya the Toad Sage: 'It's a question of quid pro quo...I'll give you what you want but in return you have to try and get me what I want..."**

**HERE WE ARE, THE END OF ANOTHER LONG CHAPTER! ANYHOW, I'LL START WORKING ON CHAPTER FOUR ONCE I RECEIVE MY MINUIMUM OF FIVE REVIEWS (THOUGH IF THERE ARE MORE THAT WOULD MAKE ME VERY HAPPY INDEED!)**

**So please REVIEW and hopefully soon enough you'll read a little more of Sayo's long adventure down her very own path to power!**


	4. Talent vs Tactic

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However my original character Sayo and story belongs to me.**

**Thank you SmileRen, gunslayer12, Amberwish, 4DarkMirror6, The Half-Fallen Angel, YandereOtakuSatori, xxxTasha101xxx for your wonderful reviews, they really gave me the incentive to finish and post this next chapter.**

**Here are some responses to your reviews!**

**SmileRen: Thank you for your review! Finally you've said that my chapter is getting better, that gives me hope that you will enjoy the coming chapters of the second part. So PLEASE DO READ AND REVIEW THIS CHAPTER TO KEEP ME GOING!**

**gunslayer12: Thank you for your review! That's alright, I just wanted to get across that because I've read stories with the whole ancient evil thing, my story will take another route. As for the chakra from dragons, well that is something that will be more thoroughly explained in the sixth part(if my plan stays the same), as will the Monogatari heritage. Also Sayo calling Jiraiya 'daddy' may be a setback but I am sure that both Hashirama and Kabuto will be able to help her build up her confidence once more. Kabuto is working for and with many people, but once these individuals are revealed the fact that they were working with him won't probably be spelled out until the sixth part of this story. As for Sayo and her connection to wood style well my answer is yes and no, and that will be eventually be answered when she becomes an official shinobi. She learn more about her special chakra/power in part four onwards. Anyway THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEW, AND PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Amberwish: Thank you for your review! Here's the next chapter! So PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**4DarkMirror6: Thank you for your review! Merci beaucoup! :) I am glad that you appreciate my writing style, it makes me feel all tingly inside that my style is deemed good by others. Yes I agree that the fluffiness between Sayo and Hashirama were a pleasure to write and I am pleased you enjoyed those scenes. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT ONE!**

**The Half-Fallen Angel: Thank you for your review! I am glad you enjoyed Chapter Three. As for your comment on some of my dialogue missing a period? (Perhaps if you explain this more thoroughly via a PM especially since I am used to dealing with British English). Also just in case there's any confusion, the dialogue between Sayo and Hashirama don't have speech marks as they are represented via italics. Anyhow PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER, CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS SOMETHING I DO APPRECIATE WHEN THEY HELP ME IMPROVE MY SKILLS AS A WRITER!**

**YandereOtakuSatori: Thank you for your review! I'm glad that you are getting excited to see what happens next. And Sayo still continues to be cute, even though she is going through a difficult time in her life. So PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER!**

**xxxTasha101xxx: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! As for Tsunade learning that Sayo can perform medical ninjutsu, I'm sure she'll discover it at a much later date when Sayo truly become unrecognisable to either one of the legendary Sannin. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER!**

**And finally my dear readers the time has come for the next chapter. So feast your eyes and enjoy, and please do let me know you think! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

Sayo wasn't exactly sure whether she should be hurt or relieved that her mother had finally managed to drag her out of the house that morning after so many months of being placed on house arrest by her father. She had assumed that the caged bird barrier would have restricted her from even stepping across the front door of the house, especially since Kabuto hadn't used his specially crafted seals to bypass the blockade this time round. But then again it was her father who had placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her over the threshold, meaning that when he consented she could leave the house with certain conditions.

"I won't let her out of my sight Jiraiya…" her mother's words were innocent enough, but from the exchange of glances which her parents had given each other, there was definitely more then met the eye.

She had long since regained her usual stubborn attitude and she began to analyse the situation. And after five minutes she realised that her breath of freedom was more of a test for her, perhaps a way for them to see how she would behave in public.

This had caused her rage to start boiling from the depths of her mind because it seemed that her father had gone back to taunting her to get her to break her silence anew.

"I'll see you soon, sweetheart"

Sayo merely looked at her father as he waved at her, and began to brace herself to face the villagers once more.

_Even after all this time…he hasn't realised what the other villagers think of me…that just proves that he's a bad father and I must continue to rebel and show them one day that I can be great. Or otherwise everything they said about me during the public presentation will be true…_

"I'll keep an eye on her Jiraiya"

And with her mother's words, they turned their backs to their home and began to make their way towards the main part of the village.

It was a few minutes after they had turned the corner that Sayo was starting to realise something which she had never really considered to be possible. Her mother had told her father that taking her on one of her shopping rounds would give her a chance to stretch her legs and secretly test whether or not she would be willingly to show them in a good light, but she was beginning to wonder whether or not her mother had an ulterior motive to getting her out of the suffocating walls of the place which was supposed to be her home, her sanctuary.

She had always considered that her mother was one of those parents who kept themselves in the shadows and let her father take control of her life. However from the constant smirk on her face, she was starting to realise something different, something which she had never thought possible. Her mother had probably pulled her away from the watchful eye of her father to stop him from obsessing over her. And while this had not yet been confirmed to her, Sayo was contemplating on the chance that her mother was jealous of the attention her father was giving her and as of yet, she couldn't quite read her mother's true intentions. Especially since she had never had such a strong bond with her mother, as she once had with her father…

Roughly two hours after Sayo and her mother had left the stuffy confines of their home, they found themselves exiting one of the many stores which supplied her mother with the ingredients which she would use either for producing their food for the table at home or acquiring plants and herbs which did not grow naturally within the grounds belonging to the hidden leaf village. Since her mother had reassumed the position of head healer of Konoha hospital, she was determined to always make sure that she was stocked on all of the paraphernalia necessary for that role. She was still determined to show the villagers that she was not the old drunk Tsunade who had to be dragged back to her senses by none other then her husband Jiraiya Monogatari.

Much like the times when she had exited with her parents in public, she was once again denied the opportunity to assist her mother in carrying the things which she had brought. Most children would have relished at not being burdened by such heavy items, but Sayo knew better. Walking around and being pretty was part of the image her parents had branded her with at birth and it was also the one which she was trying so hard, and occasionally failing, to break free from. And this would have never been revealed to her, had she not been made aware of how the citizen and the shinobi population viewed her.

It was not long after they began to make their way home that Sayo became excessively conscious of the many many villagers who were glaring at her from the very corner of their eyes. At first they had not bothered her but as she realised that more people which staring at her, disapproving of her, it caused her heart to sink considerably and her general confidence to falter. She had hoped that her secret ninja training with Kabuto would have stopped her sentiments of defeat clouding her mind once more. Yet it seemed that the main conspirators in torturing her with the malicious rumours of her position in her family being insignificant, had worked their contacts and she wondered if she would ever feel comfortable to even consider the hidden leaf village to be her home.

However soon enough her attention returned to her mother and she saw the triumphant smile on her face once more. Considering what was transpiring around them, she realised that her mother was most likely taking delight in the approving smiles which the villagers were giving her. Whilst she appeared completely oblivious to the cruel glares which the public had perfected in concealing from those who were known as the legendary Sannin. If Sayo did not know it any better, then perhaps those who saw her as unworthy had instructed those who spread the rumours to remain discreet and succeed in breaking her confidence…but she would fight…and hopefully rise above them and show them that she was unique in her own right and she deserved the same respect which had been bestowed upon her parents…

….

Long before the moon had been up in the sky, Sayo had already shot up from her bedcovers, and carefully opened her wardrobe doors. It was soon after that she folded her nightclothes and hid them under her bedcovers. Then she pulled a dark blue frilly dress over her head and wondered if her parents would ever concede to buying her new clothes as she refused to wear these humiliating garments during the day. In fact she only wore them around Kabuto for practical reasons and she hoped that her father would back off from her now. Especially since it proved to be far easier to distance herself from her father, when he was convinced that she hated him with every fibre of her being.

It was not long after that she approached her balcony doors and momentarily reached forward to push at the barrier, and scowled at it as it fizzed and it crackled. This proved that her father's smiles and taunting were one in the same and perhaps her own bout of weakness towards him had not been as dire as she had originally considered.

So instead she decided to stand there and wait, and it was soon after that she saw a peculiar sight. It looked like Kabuto was climbing up the side of her house and from the moment that he had crossed the threshold to her room, the two of them were now looking at each other face to face and grinning.

After a few moments Kabuto reached inside his pouch and removed two pads of seals. The first seal he placed down lapped the walls in white whilst the second one caused her father's caged bird barrier to fizzle and crack, obviously weakening it enough for her to be pulled through by Kabuto when he took her away for training.

"We'd best get going"

Sayo nodded and made the signs needed to make a clone, and swiftly enough a puff of smoke appeared and a replica of her appeared.

Once she was sure that her clone knew what to do, she reached for Kabuto's hand and much like the other times he was the first to pass to the outside and then he began to pull her through. The pressure was the same as all of those other times and Sayo was starting to wonder if her father would ever stop his stupid 'punishment', especially since she was beginning to show him that even if sometimes her resolve faltered, she would never return to being the ignorant baby which he adored so very much.

Her mother's behaviour had been rather confusing as she was initially convinced that she would stay on the sidelines, but now her attitude was changing and she couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind.

She gripped Kabuto's hand very tightly as they jumped up from the roof of her home and they leapt onto the nearest roof which was accessible to them. It was a repetitive journey which the two of them would take whenever they would have a nighttime training session and after the many times they had managed to do this, she wondered if her teacher had some sort of special connections and she was also beginning to ponder upon what it would be like if she could finally attend the Academy. As they continued to jump from roof to roof, Sayo was beginning to sense that there something which Kabuto wanted to ask and when they finally came to a stop.

"So how was your trip with your mother?"

Yet before she could muster up a comprehensible response to her teacher's question, he took her by the hand once more and they jumped onto the next building and then the next and the next.

Thinking about the day she had had with her mother only brought up many feelings of resentment and general hurt. Her mother had seemed a little distant and she was starting to wonder if she was envious of her. Whilst on the other hand, she kept recalling the judgemental eyes which seemed to follow her from the dark corner of the village, and how they had made her feel extremely uncomfortable and wishing that she could have been in any other village apart from the hidden leaf.

And soon enough they came to a halt once more and now Sayo was sure what her answer would be, and Kabuto had turned to look at her in anticipation:

"Well nothing has changed…they still look at me like I am the Sannin's decorative property and they still smile and slightly bow their heads to my mother"

She kept her voice very quiet and Kabuto smiled weakly:

"It takes a lot to change to public opinion and I am sure that if you continue to believe in yourself then you will eventually show the villagers that you can not only be a respectable ninja but also rise far above that of the legendary Sannin"

A faint blush appeared on Sayo's face but it was concealed as a cool breeze blew her hair into her face and all she managed to register was Kabuto stroking her hand.

"Do you really think that will be possible?"

Kabuto didn't respond but merely pulled her off the roof once more and she could have sworn that she saw his all knowing smile in the dead of the night, and she really hoped that whatever he had planned for her, she would not disappoint him.

….

Sayo continued to ponder on the events which had occurred earlier on in the day, and without even the slightest warning, Kabuto had gripped onto her hand tightly and began to drag her towards the ground. Her thoughts were halted in their tracks, as all her surroundings became distorted and the wind gushed by her face, as she realised that they had most likely arrived. For the time being she kept her eyes shut, but she was sure that there would come a time in the future where she would jump from roof to roof naturally and be exhilarated by the rush which came with undertaking such an activity.

Once they landed onto the floor, she found the strength to open her eyes once more and promptly realised that they were making their way through what appeared to be a dense forest. This alone meant that they were near the edge of the hidden leaf village and wherever they were headed, it would most likely be away from the scrutinising eyes of the public. Sure their training sessions took place when the moon was high in the sky, but that didn't signify that there weren't times when Sayo considered that they were being watched by those who would restrict her training and halt any chances for her to be recognised as a shinobi worthy of her bloodlines.

And before she could ponder upon the matter any further, she saw the trees clearing and soon they entered into what appeared to be a vast empty field, an ideal place to learn some sort of technique which required a lot of movement, or so Sayo thought.

She scanned the trees nearby and tried to consider whether or not they would be beneficial for her to learn what Kabuto had planned for her tonight, because from the last six months, she had realised that her sensei always had something planned.

Sayo remained incredibly still as Kabuto created a metre or so between them, and she was becoming more and more curious as to what her teacher was going to show her on this night. And it was soon enough that he began to speak:

"So far you have either mastered or been introduced to the shadow clone jutsu and medical ninjutsu"

Sayo nodded quickly, but in fact all she was interested in was learning what Kabuto was about to say next.

"Today I will tell you about and show you the body replacement technique"

Her ears immediately perked up at the mention of this technique as she was sure hat is was one of those few, which every academy student was expected to perform in some degree or another.

"Firstly this technique is what can allow users to replace their own bodies with some other object which according to our surroundings, would be a block of wood. In most cases this relies on optical illusion which can make any opponent think that their attack was successful"

Sayo continued to nod and nod and nod but was secretly waiting for Kabuto to finally demonstrate this interesting jutsu.

"In some cases it is also useful to add explosive tags for the element of surprise"

At the mention of 'explosive tags', an embarrassed blush appeared on her face as she remembered the day that she and Naruto had ransacked the academy's supply and caused such a havoc that it had caused many of the villagers to run screaming. And it probably wouldn't have been such a humiliating memory had the fourth hokage not got involved and her father had not put her on lock down for so many months.

"Now Sayo I want you to watch my demonstration very carefully…"

Even though he had not voiced his next words, Sayo was sure that they would have been 'because your mind has a tendency to wonder'.

Her thoughts halted suddenly and she directed her full attention onto her teacher, Kabuto seemed to know a great deal about her including the reassurance that one day in the midst of battle, her mind would be fully concentrated on fighting and thus she could hone her prodigious skill to the maximum.

Then without further delay she watched as he began to run to the other side of the large field, and then it was from one moment to the next that the outline of Kabuto's body blurred out of focus for a split second. And then his body seemed static for a moment, and then with a puff of smoke a log of wood had appeared and it had fallen to the ground.

Sayo's mouth went wide in awe, she was beginning to deduce exactly how Kabuto had managed to replace his body and it was quickly enough that she realised that he had most likely performed a certain set of hand signs and she was desperate to know what they were.

And then she heard a familiar voice:

"Did you see it?"

Kabuto's proximity to her body had caused her to jump to one side as she really hadn't been expecting that he would appear so suddenly beside her.

"Yeah…yes" she managed to stutter, still a little bemused by the entire situation.

"But what about the hand signs?"

Kabuto smiled and nodded:

"Watch carefully"

Sayo nearly started laughing but her face became serious enough once Kabuto began to position his hands.

"Tiger" he performed that sign.

"Boar" Sayo watched his hands creating the required shape.

"Ox" Once again she saw his hands fulfil the positions required.

"Dog and Snake"

Even though nothing actually occurred after he went through all of the signs, Sayo nodded and rapidly she was starting to understand that for the body replacement technique to be completely successful she would have to perform the hand signs and run at the same time.

For the next few minutes she pondered upon how she would be able to do two things at once, until she felt a warm hand being placed onto her shoulder and she gazed into Kabuto's irises and saw his confident smile:

"My dear I know you can multi-task quite efficiently, after all do you try to avoid your father by undertaking other activities"

Sayo nodded slowly, as she was rather uncomfortable as she contemplated on the possibility that in some way or another, Kabuto was able to watch her during the day as well.

"You have been watching me"

Kabuto frowned a little:

"Oh I get it, you are worried that I would be caught…"

Sayo's eyes fell to the floor and that was when Kabuto had placed his hand onto her shoulder, and she heard his words:

"Yes I have checked up on you but I would never physically enter the Monogatari-Senju residence…"

She decided that she wasn't going to ask anymore but she wondered who else was in alliance with her sensei and whether this connection could possibility benefit her in the nearby future.

"Are you ready to try now?"

Sayo nodded but was slightly confused when Kabuto took a few steps back. Even though she considered it to be impossible. It seemed as if her teacher knew about the resident deep within her mind scape though that would be far too much of a coincidence if that were the case.

_Hashirama…Hashirama…_

….

She found herself calling to him and it was not long after that her surroundings began to blur, and it was soon after that they had been replaced by the familiar tranquil colour fields which was her very own sanctuary.

And as her eyes scanned the inner depths of her mind it was soon enough that she came face to face with her closest confident, the long black haired patriarch of the highly respected Senju clan.

"Hello there Sayo, how have you been doing?"

Unlike the other times they had convened, there was faint smile on her face(but then this was probably because she was slowly adjusting to the constant tension which existed in her home life) as she was sure that through all of her contemplation she had managed to devise a method in which to achieve the technique first time round.

"Father is just as stubborn as always and Mommy is acting weird"

Even though she had chosen to refuse to call her father 'daddy', she still referred to her mother as 'Mommy', as she had not given her a proper reason to reject her…as of yet.

"Well that does seem to be the case with your father nowadays…and whilst you may not be able to change him you can always aim to improve yourself and show the world that you are a shinobi who should be acknowledged as an individual worthy of leading others into battle"

For the next few minutes they stood gazing at each other and she was the one to continue:

"Do you think that I will be able to pull of this jutsu?"

Hashirama's grin only grew wider and he responded;

"I would have thought that you have a little more faith in your abilities now Sayo"

Sayo clenched her fists, and then Hashirama approached her and kneeled down, smiling:

"You have the chakra and you have the intelligence as well as a brilliant teacher, I am sure that if you are patient then you will achieve the technique and master it in the process no doubt"

She crossed her arms in defiance and Hashirama gently caressed her cheek:

"You'd better get going or otherwise your training session wouldn't be worth much"

Sayo nodded and soon enough she found herself being pulled back into the conscious world and her mind was buzzing with how if she followed all the technicalities, she would succees first time round. Of that she was absolutely sure.

….

"Are you ready Sayo?"

Kabuto's question were the first to come into focus as she reconsidered Hashirama's words and answered:

"Yes" she murmured and Kabuto began to reach inside his back pocket to remove what appeared to be a scroll.

"Start running when you're ready"

She then realised that Kabuto had backed away from her once more, and she soon adopted the stance to start to running to the other side of the field. Kabuto had somehow managed to run, perform a jutsu and be successful in doing so and frankly she was determined to do the same.

"Whenever you're ready!" she heard Kabuto's elevated voice, and that was when she broke into full motion and felt the adrenaline running through her veins as she started to run to no place in particular.

And as she made her way to the other side of the field, she suddenly realised that she should have started forming the hand signs. She continued to run and forced her hands to move, as she muttered the relevant symbols to herself.

"Tiger…Boar…Ox…Dog…Snake"

Even though she was able to run and say the signs, performing them in sync with her moving legs was proving a lot more difficult then she could have ever imagined.

Her hands slipped up and even though there was a definite puff of smoke, Sayo was sure that she had slipped up somewhere and then without even the slights warning, something soft whacked itself against her stomach and from the sheer speed of this object alone. She found herself being pushed off her feet and she end up falling to the floor.

She stayed lying on the floor for a few minutes, until she finally braved to reach forward and realised that it was a fluffy pillow which had toppled her to the ground and her first thought was to throw at a tantrum at how such an unimposing paraphernalia could her defeated her so easily.

She was about to rise to her feet when she saw a familiar set of eyes looking down at her and he offered her his hand. If she had been looking at her father or any other adult who wasn't Kabuto, then she wouldn't have grabbed onto his hand and permitted him to pull her to her feet.

For a few minutes they stood staring at each other, and then the tears starting falling from her eyes. She found herself unable to voice her frustration at realising how her plan of excelling at the jutsu first time round would have worked, and thus crying had been the only other way to vent.

_Damn you Hashirama…_

However even though she blamed her confidant, she could not help but have the sensation as if she were doing something wrong. In her mind, both Kabuto and her father insisted that she was a prodigy and she couldn't understand how she always seemed to fail first time round.

And then without the slightest warning, Kabuto had removed a handkerchief from one of his many pouches and offered it to her. She accepted it and soon the evidence of her momentary weakness had been wiped away.

"Try again Sayo…"

She heard Kabuto's reassuring voice and even though he had told her something a few months ago, she could help but feel as if she were forgetting something, something very important.

Kabuto began to back away from her once more and this time Sayo eyed the scroll which he removed from his back pocket and she was trying to remember how exactly she had managed to master the clone technique after having failed so many times.

Once again she braced herself to start running once more and she was already planning to move her hands from the moment that she set into motion, and she could not help but feel as if she were doing something wrong once more.

Then she began to run forward and immediately she began to perform the required signs to perform the jutsu. But the more she concentrated on the signs the slower her pace became, and even though there was a puff of smoke like before. But without warning a pillow was hurled at her once more, yet unlike before, she was put her hand out in anticipation of the impact and thus she wasn't toppled of her feet like the first time.

For a few moments she realised that she had once again failed in her attempt and the more she tried to comprehend why she kept failing in performing this jutsu. And even though she had succumbed to tears before, she had chosen silence as her despondency at the situation at hand had began to cloud her mind and engulf her heart. As she was beginning to feel helpless once more.

….

Over the next few minutes Sayo's mind was beginning to get overwhelmed with recalling how many of the villagers were spreading malicious rumours. The latest gossip about her was that she was weak and even if she went to the ninja academy then she would probably graduate but become one of the medicare shinobi. In fact she had even heard how some of them wished that she would never get there, because many were convinced that she would besmirch the Sannin name. And it was at times like this, that she let these rumours cross over into her conscious state.

At the state of her nighttime training session she had been so confident that she would succeed in whatever Kabuto had for her to learn, but after two consecutive failed attempts, her resolve was starting to falter and she was beginning to feel as if she was serious letting down the one man who had given her a the slither of possibility she would have needed to rise above those soul crushing rumours. But now she was succumbing to her inner doubt once more, and she wasn't sure how she would be able to perform the jutsu let alone learn everything Kabuto had no doubt planned for her.

So instead of crying, screaming or seemingly throwing a full blown tantrum, she plopped down onto the ground and once there she contemplated on everything which the villagers and her parents had been saying. Her father had been clingy and now she was beginning to wonder how long it would be until she regressed to that frail version of herself which he seemed to adore so very much. In fact she wouldn't be surprised if all of her tormentors would have relished in her giving her rebellion, and she was truly contemplating on doing just that.

And then in the midst of her self doubt, Kabuto appeared, as he lay beside her with the usual confident grin on his face. She couldn't understand why her teacher could be so incredibly sure that she wound succeed, when she was seemingly always failing in the basics.

"You're doing well, you know?"

Even though she had heard his words, she wasn't quite registering them. It would take a few comforting words to bring back the faith in herself. She had read a great deal about Sannin's abilities and her desire to reach that level was now a goal which appeared to be quite impossible.

….

"I'm doing well? I'm doing well? I'm doing pathetically" Sayo told him with pure and utter irritation.

She considered Kabuto's words to be false after how her training session had gone so far and seeing his beaming face only made her feel that much worse. And suddenly she sat up and Kabuto followed suite and took her hands into his, and even though she was determined that she wouldn't succeed in being strong like she so desperately desired.

"You are definitely a prodigy Sayo, you are just lacking one crucial element to your general demeanour"

Sayo titled her head, interested to know what her teacher was convinced about when she was sure that whatever her fault was it would be irreparable.

"And what would they be?"

Kabuto's customary grin widen and he gently placed one hand under her chin, and responded:

"Well it's what I have been constantly telling you for the last few months, that you really really need to believe in yourself. Because no matter how much I try to encourage you, you are the one that needs to act first and then think"

Sayo cocked her head confused:

"Now that's advice which you don't hear very often"

Kabuto nodded:

"Until you stop questioning yourself, I can now determine that you need to trust your instincts and stop trying so hard to think about the technicalities. Books and intellectual knowledge need brain power but for the time being you should listen to your heart when attempting to execute each of these basic ninja skills"

It was without warning that Sayo brought her knees up to her stomach and began to recall some of the wild and mystical dreams which she had been having and all of those white silver haired beings running around and casting jutsu as if it were nothing more then their primal instincts. And she kept remembering the sound of majestic beasts roaring through the dark night sky even though she hadn't actually seen them.

Slowly Sayo relaxed and the two of them gradually rose to their feet and she felt as if she had been reinvigorated with the determination to continue on with her training.

Her sensei then turned to her and spoke the words which would probably banish any remaining notions of failing which she may have still had.

"Being a shinobi is in your blood. The Senju clan may have been revered for strength, and the Uchiha for their visual prowess but the Monogatari clan…well they are remembered as being gods for a reason"

….

For the next few minutes to Sayo replayed Kabuto's words in the depths of her mind, and the more she heard his declaration, the more her initial confidence began to crept back until suddenly she felt as if she could could conquer any thing which crossed her path. And it was not long after that her heart and mind reverted back to the body replacement technique, and even though her mind was no longer trying to figure out ways to succeed in casting the jutsu. She had the inner reassurance that she could perform any sort of technique even if she didn't planned out each and every single step beforehand.

Then without any sort of nudge from Kabuto, Sayo started to run and her chakra was beginning to flare up and instead of the pain which she had originally felt with her chakra surging, it was as if all of her senses were alive once more. Her hands started to move even though she hadn't preplanned the signs in her head beforehand, and the more she ran the more exhilarated she was starting to feel. And then a few seconds later, she heard a voice which sounded so very much like her own and then suddenly she felt her entire body shift, leaving behind her a puff of dense smoke.

Meanwhile Kabuto had stepped back and waited for Sayo to ponder upon the words which he had carefully selected to boost her confidence once more. He was certain that his student would reach levels of extraordinary power because she carried the blood of Hashirama Senju and also that of the dragons. He remained silent as he watched his student prepare herself and he saw a particular look within the depths of her eyes, one which depicted the strength which she would surely attain as the weeks, the months and the years went by. And even though Sayo stumbled and failed due to the difficult situations of her day to day life, he was sure that if he gave her the tools needed to rise above the rumours spawned by a few hidden village members, she would eventually be triumphant.

It was just as she crossed his directed line of vision that instead of pulling out a scroll from one of his back pockets, he gripped onto one of his many kunai. And without even the slightest hesitation, he aimed it towards Sayo's tiny body but before it could even pierce her skin, she had disappeared into a puff of smoke and his kunai had landed on a hard surface, or more specially a log of wood which he had placed in certain parts of the forest. And then the log dropped onto the ground, and Kabuto could not help but grin at how Sayo had managed to rely on her instincts and she had ultimately performed the jutsu perfectly.

….

For the next ten minutes he searched for her frankly, wondering what tree she had chosen to use as her hiding place. Because even though Sayo had finally performed the technique without a single fault, he was beginning to consider the possibility that she had figured out the one thing which he had effectively omitted from his explanation of how to execute the jutsu. But before he could panic for too long, he felt someone tapping on his shoulder and turning around, he saw Sayo coming out from behind a tree.

His immediately reaction was to pat her on the head and smile, and then he heard her speak:

"Did you deliberately forget to mention that hiding in nearby surroundings was a must to perform the technique?"

Kabuto chose not to acknowledge her question but rather he placed his two hands onto her shoulders, and spoke:

"Congratulations Sayo, you have mastered yet another shinobi ability…well once you relied on your instincts instead of trying to make sense of the technicalities"

Sayo nodded and her face remained emotionless. And Kabuto could not help but sigh in defeat:

"You know it will all get easier Sayo. Your relationship with your parents make be unstable and you may have to deal with the disapproving sideways glances of most of the villagers. But there are many others including myself who believe that you have the capability to rise to great heights"

Sayo blinked once and a faint smile began to appear on her face;

"Do you perhaps think that I may be able to someday reach Sannin level?"

Kabuto's grin soon returned and he responded with an earnest tone:

"I am certain that if you continue to train and believe in yourself, you will eventually rise above the level of your parents"

Sayo nodded slowly and Kabuto continued to smile, wondering how long it would take his student to not be so easily put down by the remarks of either her parents or the villagers combined.

**In the words of Jiraiya the Toad Sage: 'It's a question of quid pro quo...I'll give you what you want but in return you have to try and get me what I want..."**

**HERE WE ARE, THE END OF ANOTHER LONG CHAPTER! ANYHOW, I'LL START WORKING ON CHAPTER FIVE ONCE I RECEIVE MY MINUIMUM OF FIVE REVIEWS (THOUGH IF THERE ARE MORE THAT WOULD MAKE ME VERY HAPPY INDEED!)**

**So please REVIEW and hopefully soon enough you'll read a little more of Sayo's long adventure down her very own path to power!**


	5. The Other Prodigy

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However my original character Sayo and story belongs to me.**

**Thank you The Half-Fallen Angel, Lorelai Sofia Petrova, SmileRen, gunslayer12 and YandereOtakuSatori for your wonderful reviews, they really gave me the motivation to finish and post this next chapter.**

**Here are some responses to your reviews!**

**The Half-Fallen Angel: Thank you for your review! I am pleased that you enjoyed the last chapter and my characterisation of Kabuto. I know I have slightly changed his personality but he is one of the key players for Sayo's path to power. So THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEW AND PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT ONE TO KEEP ME GOING!**

**Lorelai Sofia Petrova: Thank you for your review! I'm glad that enjoyed the last chapter and it's good to know that you've enjoyed what I've written so far. I eagerly await for your to READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER TO KEEP ME GOING FORWARDS!**

**SmileRen: Thank you for your review! Ah a big word to describe my story at last :) I hope you enjoy this next chapter especially after how long it took me to write. So PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT ONE :)**

**gunslayer12: Thank you for your review! Just a filler :( I hope this next one proves to be more productive especially since it was partially a request. As for pairing well there is definitely someone I have planned to go with Sayo but then that may turn into something of a love triangle. Anyhow I greatly anticipate you to READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER!**

**YandereOtakuSatori: Thank you for your review! Ah I can admit that without your review, I would have never started writing this next chapter. Yes Sayo's path to power will be a great one especially once she becomes famous (oh spoilers, I wonder what could that be!). Since you seem to be a regular reviewer on both of my stories, I hope you rejoice at this next chapter. I am eager for you to READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER!**

**And finally my dear readers the time has come for the next chapter. So after so long you can finally feast your eyes and enjoy, and please do let me know you think! SO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

**...**

**_Many easily recall the famous Hashirama Senju with his God-like abilities and his wood style, however it was his younger brother Tobirama, or more commonly remembered as the Nidaime or the Second hokage, who actually established most of the pillars of the hidden leaf village which we rely on today. The ninja academy system was originally sketched out by him along with many other features which still benefit us today…_**

When Sayo had woken up that morning she had been immediately struck with the sensation that something big and different was going to occur. Her father had long since regressed to his overbearing manner of acting around her, whilst her mother seemed to be overly blissful and she could help but wonder if it had something to do with her.

_**It has been said that the Nidaime conceived the idea of the academy to encourage unity between potential students of the shinobi profession in the hidden leaf. His desire allowed many friendships to be built and flourish, thus creating an even more powerful ninja unit for Konoha. Because along with his elder brother, he was confident that by bringing order to the shinobi world, he would be able to start the path to peace which had prevailed during the era of the Sage of six paths.**_

Sayo was lying at that moment comfortably on her customary sofa and consuming paragraph after paragraph of yet another tome regarding the Senju clan and it's influence over the building essentially the shinobi culture as it was known in her day. And then she commenced reading once more.

**_Whilst it is true that there are entrance exams, it is generally applied when the potential student comes from a non-shinobi family. This was because it is assumed that a ninja's offspring would have received a certain amount of theoretical if not physical training by either one of their ninja parents…_**

Sayo was then overcome by a sudden daunting sensation. She did not know why but with the constant tension which existed between her and her father and with her mother acting more and more peculiar each day, she was starting to wonder if she would be able to rely on either one of them to give her the basics she would require to forgo the entrance exam. Because even though Kabuto was training her in secret, she knew that she would need to get official training from somewhere, since her association with her sensei was something which could not be revealed for anything.

She then moved to another section and ultimately began to learn more about the Uchiha clan and it's importance to Konoha.

**_The Uchiha clan, originally lead by Madara Uchiha, was one of the first families to come to an agreement with Hashirama Senju to collaborate and build a village in which younger shinobi would be able to grow and to flourish without the constant fear that they would perish at any given moment. While there may have been an initial conflict between the Uchiha and the Senju clan, due to the special training which Hashirama received, it was the Second hokage who eventually strengthened their relationship by giving them the role of protectors which nowadays we refer to as being the police force. _**

Sayo went onto read about the benefits which the Uchiha clan had brought to the hidden leaf village and it was not long after that, that she became aware of two piercing eyes which had seemingly been watching her for quite some time. At first she thought that her father had come to pick on her with his latest insult to get her to break her silence anew. However once she braved herself to look away from the page, she was fairly surprised to see that it was none other then her mother.

"Mommy…?" she called to him in a meek tone.

It was as if her acknowledgement of Tsunade's presence, that her mother hurried forward and sat on the sofa, eventually prompting Sayo to pull her legs in.

"I figured that you would go onto read the books about the second hokage sooner or later"

Sayo began to slowly close the book and she waited for her mother's next words:

"Would you like me to tell you what I know about the transition between the first hokage and the second hokage's reign?"

After the last couple of weeks, Sayo was stunned at her mother's suggestion as she had been starting to get the feeling that her mother was keeping her distance and perhaps she was even jealous of her. But now she was starting to think differently, and she hoped that her initial gut sensation of something bad brewing on the horizon with her mother would not come to pass.

"O…Okay" she responded with a shaky tone, as she was still unsure.

For the next half an hour, Sayo pretended to listen intently to how much her mother admired her grandfather Hashirama and she was especially careful not to let on that she in fact knew the Senju patriarch more personally then Tsunade could have ever imagined. She made mental notes about how much Hashirama's 'death' had affected her and the village and how the Second hokage or more specifically known as Tobirama Senju had rapidly took control of the hidden leaf village.

She was intrigued to learn how her mother along with her father and Orochimaru, the uncle which her left the beautiful teddy which she kept on her bed. Even though that was one of her favourite paraphernalia, she refused to carry it around with her because then that would really prove to her father and the rest of the hidden leaf village that she was still a helpless baby who would forever remain in the long shadow which was the legendary Sannin. However learning that her parents and their teammate had graduated to become genin at the age of nine only made her that much more determined to show Konoha that she could excel and eventually establish herself as someone worth respecting.

….

"Tsunade…Sayo…come here!"

Mother and daughter immediately halted their current actions, and promptly arose from their places on the couch. It was not long after that that they were entering into the entrance hall, the room where Jiraiya was most likely waiting to give out his latest orders.

And it was soon enough that Sayo found herself once more under the scrutinising gaze of none other then her father. It seemed as if he was starting to rely on his baser ninja instincts to determine the thoughts which she kept so closely guarded to her heart. She knew that whatever occurred she would hold onto her biggest secret regarding Hashirama for as long as she possibly could, especially since she was convinced that there were many many things which he was failing to tell her.

It was then from one moment to the next that her father's solemn's face had transformed into an almost mischievous complexion, warning her that whatever words he would utter next would most likely be to ridicule something which she had done or failed to do to his standards. And after their initial clash, it seemed as if most of time he always found something to either tease or to insult her about.

"For almost one year now you have avoided wearing so many of your beautiful clothes…"

Sayo could not help but narrow her eyes, since her clothes were the pure image of what it meant for her to be an ignorant child who would be at the beck and call of her father.

"…so since you are being so unappreciative, I have decided there is no choice but for your mother to take you and you can chose your own clothes"

His tone was fairly mocking and Sayo was certain that if at that moment that she looked up, then her father's eyes would have probably added something along the lines of 'you are far too fussy and I give you a little but I but I expect something in return'.

Soon after she found herself being pushed through none other then front door of her home. She was starting to hope that sooner or later her father would halt his stupid punishment of keeping her trapped in the house. But then again, she was beginning to consider the possibly that her father would only give her the freedom to come and go, once she stopped her rebellion against him.

And once they were out of the house, both Sayo and Tsunade turned around to face Jiraiya and waited patiently for him to give out his orders.

"Tsunade as always make sure that you keep a very close eye of her. Do not…under any circumstances let Sayo out of your sight"

She saw her mother's smile and Sayo was finding it difficult to deduce whether it was directed at her or her father. Because the constant nagging feeling would not cease, and she knew that she would have to wait to find out whether or not her mother's neutrality to the conflict between her and her father was sincere.

Once Sayo and her mother had turned the corner, Sayo was immediately hit with fear and worry. The last time that she had come out with her mother, she was subjected to the snickering, whispers and side stares of the villagers. But now that they were going clothes shopping and she was feeling incredibly self conscious about how the citizens of Konoha would judge her choice of clothes. There may have been others who would have considered her to be obsessing over insignificant details, but then again the villagers had already judged her as being the pretty doll of her parents. And anything contributing to that image would just prove to the shinobi and non-shinobi citizenry combined that they were right.

It was soon enough, that as they made their ways past the centre village's shops, her ears were immediately starting to perk up as she began to hear some murmuring from the people of passed by them. Her mother seemed to be calm and collect and she was beginning to contemplate on the possibility that because Tsunade was unaware of what had happened, because if she did, she was sure that her father would know about it by now.

As they made their way to the shop labelled as **Children's Latest Fashion**, Sayo was starting to realise that some of the older academy students were starting to copy their parents by laughing when they thought that she wasn't looking and she was hoping that this wouldn't be the case when she would finally attend the academy. Because she was sure that she should at least try to break out of her shell and gain other friends apart from Naruto.

She was extremely relieved that from the moment that had entered into the store, she was temporary given a break from the snickering and muttering behind her back. Her mother seemed to be calm and collect, and she couldn't understand why she had started to feel uneasy around her. And as they made their way through the store, she saw many bright colourful outfits which her father would have probably gone mad for, but she was hoping to find clothes which were simpler and much greyer then any which he would have chosen. From the books she had read, she learnt that ninja wore dark colours to blend into the surrounding and in her mind, choosing boring clothes would make her look older and perhaps cause the rumours to die down.

"I'll just wait here Sayo" she heard her mother calling out to her and instead of looking back to acknowledge her mother's words. She was more preoccupied with choosing the right clothes and hopefully avoid any villagers which would make her feel uncomfortable to be out in public once more. Even though she was almost six years old, she could not help but feel incredibly embarrassed that she wasn't allowed to travel around the village by herself. It was a freedom which now that it had been stripped from her was what made her want it even more.

After she had crossed through the first two rooms and grimaced at the hundreds of ugly outfits which still occupied so much unnecessary space in the wardrobe at home. She finally entered into a dimly lit one, with a small label on the side of the door on which was written:

**Ninja Small Clothes**

Her first reaction to seeing the many dark colours was that she would finally be able to dress the part of the shinobi and she would no longer embarrass herself when she was due to train some more with Kabuto. Other then that she would be able to be able to start building the image which she hoped that she would somehow attain as a shinobi, especially since most of the Konoha residents were of the strict belief that she would never reach the level of her parents. And she sometimes wondered if Kabuto's help alone would assist her in proving them wrong.

Soon enough she began to take potential outfits of of the racks and they consisted of greys, dark blues, dark purples, dark greens and dark scarlet. They consisted of dresses, trousers, long and short sleeved tops and even a couple of shorts. Sayo was sure that her father would initially freak out, but he didn't really have a leg to stand on to get rid of them, since her mother's attire were very similar to the ones which she was choosing now.

She continued to pull the clothes of the racks and it was not long after that some other children her age began to enter. And to avoid being seen, she hurried into one corner and watched two white eyed individuals entered, one with short black hair and another with navy blue hair.

"Don't worry Lady Hinata, I am sure that you will make a fine ninja once more"

It was not long after that Sayo hurried away and even though the girl seemed to be of a similar age to her, those white eyes haunted her. If she didn't know it any better on of her tormentors had those eyes and before she could curse herself for still not knowing the names of those who had branded her and almost certainly spread rumours about her. She hurried out of the room and soon after that she meet up with her mother once more.

Once mother and daughter had headed to the cashier to pay for the clothes, Sayo was once again subjected to more sideways glances and subconsciously she clenched her fists when she heard how respectful the woman was to her mother.

"Good day to you, Lady Tsunade"

Sayo watched as her mother's signature smile increased as she paid for the clothes and soon enough the two of them headed out of the store. Sayo was sure that if Hashirama hadn't been speaking to her in her mind at that exact moment then she may have spoken her mind and ended up humiliating herself in the process.

….

It was not long after that mother and daughter exited the shop and for the first time ever, Sayo had managed to grab onto the bags before her mother could take them from her. And as she was once again subjected to the stealthy stares of villagers, she could not help but feel a little more secure with her hands being occupied because at least she wasn't conforming to the stereotypical helpless baby doll image which the shinobi population seemed to associate her with. Especially since she had just had a mere glimpse at one of the shinobi heiresses and she hoped that sooner or later her parents would change their mind and decide to give her the same advantage as the other children from ninja families.

Then without the slights warning, she felt her mother grab onto her shoulder and quickly pulled her between two buildings and soon she found herself gazing into her mother's brown eyes:

"Here…"

Sayo watched as her mother pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket and it was within a few moments that she realised they would have to swap belongings to make it possible. And soon they did just that and she was becoming more and more confused.

It was then in a very low tone that her mother spoke the words which she had never even considered to be possible to come out of her mouth after everything which had transpired over the last year or so.

"Now I need to go of to run some errands, so go and wonder around and use the money to go and buy yourself some treats"

Sayo blinked once and then twice, and her heart was beginning to pound with an intense velocity. She thought she was going crazy and then her mother leaned forward and whispered into her ears the words which confirmed that what her mother had said was sincere.

"Let this keep this between us…"

Her mother pulled away from her and Sayo's face was overtaken by the surprise at her mother's suggestion as she was sure that she had promised her father to 'keep an eye on her'.

"But…but…" she managed to mumble.

Her mother's face grew into her usual grin and in a very quiet tone, she spoke the words which would seal the deal:

"It will be our own little secret"

And Sayo could not help but wonder if her mother was helping her or perhaps…setting her up?

For a few moments, there was pure silence and then her mother pulled away from her ear, and gripped onto the bags containing the clothes which she was sure would make her appear to more of a shinobi. And her mother took a short look into the bags and Sayo waited for her response:

"Greys and dark colours…maybe this is the curse of us females, the younger we are the older we want to look…but the older we are the younger we want to seem"

It was with these words that her mother waved at her briefly and spoke her parting words of "Come back here in two hours". And before she knew it her mother had turned her back on her and walked away. And Sayo stayed still, attempting to process if the sudden brief of freedom would truly be a blessing or was there something horrible waiting for her. She had never really been close with her mother and now that she was on the outs with her father, she could not help but be weary of both of her parents.

….

After some time pondering upon these matters, Sayo found herself giving into her own desire to explore without parental supervision and slowly she began to make her way through the village once more. She still heard the odd murmuring about how she tainted the Sannin name but now that she was alone, it seemed that more of the inhabitants of the leaf village acted as if she wasn't there, a shadow. For some time Sayo enjoyed being invisible, but her bliss was unfortunately short lived, since she hadn't realised that she was being followed. Though in the not so distant, there would come a time where she would never have to endure an event such as this ever again…

Because suddenly without even the merest warning of what was about to transpire next, three unknown individual jumped out from their hiding places and before Sayo could cry out or fend them of, she found herself being back into one of the side streets. The perfect place for all sorts of horrendous things to take place without any key witnesses to come to Sayo's aid or in fact admit the events which would occur.

"Oh if it isn't the daughter of the perverted Sannin"

Sayo blinked a couple of times and it was then that she felt multiple hands tugging roughly at her white locks:

"No doubt she has the same digesting habits as her father"

It was then that Sayo realised that these three older boys must have been a part of the ninja academy and as they pulled, prodded and sneered at her physical appearance, she could not help but despise her father even more.

"My father says that she is not only a disappointment but everything which the Sannin name represents will die out with her"

By that time she was clenching her fists and silently cursed herself for how sensitive her undeveloped body was to stop bruising from the prods and the occasional pinches which they gave her.

"Are you listening brat?"

Sayo suddenly looked up and saw the malicious grin of one of the students, and before she could stop it from happening, she felt a knee in her stomach and from mere shock alone she fell to the floor and found herself trapped and surrounded by those who clearly wished her harm.

And considering that anything she said would make it worse, she knew that they could have her way with her as she clearly did not have the means to defend herself…

Then suddenly before Sayo could have even anticipated what was going to occur next…she heard the sound of three paraphernalia whooshing through the arm with top speed. The three academy students continue to pull at her hair and pick on her, and soon enough, she shut her eyes tightly and heard as the three academy students were roughly pinned to the nearby side wall.

"What…who's there?" one of them called out with a panicked tone.

She slowly began to open her eyes once more and quickly resisted the urge to laugh out loud when she saw the three bullies pinned up high against the wall. Her eyes immediately fell to the kunais at the back of their clothes, and she hoped for their sakes that they didn't make any sudden movements, or they would most likely end up injuring themselves more in the process of attempting to struggle out of their current predicament.

Sayo then went onto examining the two buildings and wondered where exactly those kunai had come from and then it struck her that whoever threw those weapons, may decide to aim them at her next. After all she had never really considered the possibility that someone would come to her rescue when she was certain that all of the villagers were against her.

She stood very still as the three boys eventually reached from the kunai to pull them out, and she was amazed at what a mess they made of falling half a feet to the ground. As she was convinced that the academy would have at least instructed them in the need of good body posture to be able to run, jump and fall like a ninja and not go and cause themselves harm in the process of it all.

She continued to observe them as they looked around in fear and nearly burst out laughing that they had forgotten all about tormenting her for being her father's daughter (though most days she regretted that deeply).

"Be gone you three before I call over one of the police officers"

The voice definitely belonged to a male and Sayo could not help but wonder if it had been one of her godfather's subordinates who had come. And if that was the case then they would deliver her directly to her father and then her breath of freedom would be end for sure!

Once the boys had run off, she heard this strange slowly making her way down from one of the roofs, as this was the only place he could have been staying.

And once his shadow fell onto her body, she could not help but instinctually raise her hands to defend herself…and then she heard his voice.

"Fear not Sayo…I would hurt you. I won't take sides…"

Sayo slowly braved to look at her saviour, and noticed his red eyes identifying him as an Uchiha and his black hair was turned back into a pony tail.

He then offered him his hand:

"Let us get you cleaned up…"

She reluctantly took his hand and he pulled her up, and saw his warm smile:

"I am Itachi Uchiha"

….

As Sayo and Itachi Uchiha made their way through the hidden leaf village, Sayo noticed how the villagers seemed to steer clear of the two of them making her wonder if the twelve year old Itachi Uchiha had a high status within Konoha. The more time she spent with this strange young ninja, as she was sure that that was what he was, the more certain she was that neither one of the Uchiha clan had been present during her public presentation all those months ago. After all she would have remembered the flash of red eyes which she was sure belonged to the opposing clan of the Senjus.

Yet soon enough she realised that they had travelled from the centre of town and found themselves entering what seemed to be a private section of the village, and since she had never been here before, she immediately stopped in her tracks:

"Where are we?"

Itachi promptly stopped walking and turned around to smile at her.

"Ah that's right, not many non-Uchihas have entered this part of the village before…this is the Uchiha's home"

Sayo titled her head confused:

"How many are there of you?"

Itachi grabbed her hand and without warning her pulled her over to the Uchiha part of the village and the first thing she noticed was that every eye was no longer watching her, judging her, but instead they simply saw her as another member of the hidden leaf village.

Sayo didn't resist Itachi's pull but instead she observed tens and tens of dark haired individuals with many of them having the same red eyes as the one who had saved her from those bullies. A part of wondered why neither one of her parents or her godparents had yet introduced her to the Uchihas and she hoped that something in the future this mysterious clan would be her ally and help protect her against the rumours which appeared to follow her wherever she went.

And then without further delay they entered into a building which appeared to be a miniature shrine and once they were within it walls. Itachi appeared with some damp cloths and quickly started wipe her face and her hands. It was only as he was doing this, that she realised what sort of state she must have been in and it caused a lump in her throat to realise that the rumours had caused some of the slightly older children of the village to seek her out and physically harm her.

"There now…fortunately there has been no permanent damage…"

Sayo nodded quickly but found herself fighting the urge to tear up. Most times she was able to keep her emotions in check, but now she realised that her breaking away from her father would not be as easy as she had once imagined especially since their physical resemblances were undeniable to anyone who had seen Jiraiya the toad Sage up close.

And then she felt Itachi's hand on her cheek and she looked at him with her blurry vision.

"It's okay, they're all idiots"

And then Sayo truly began to wonder if Itachi's clan knew what the villagers said about her.

….

Later on, Sayo found herself being lead into what appeared to be a small coffee shop and once there she was brought a place of sour buns and a cup of strawberry tea. There was nothing chocolaty about her food but because she was technically a guest in this part of the village. And she could not help but be extremely curious with this body. He had appeared from the shadows, taken down the three bullies with three throws of a kunai. These facts along with how the villagers wouldn't dare come within a feet of her with him around, made think that he was highly respected within Konoha or at least very skilled!

"So you're a ninja?" she finally managed to mumble.

Itachi seeped at his strawberry tea and smiled:

"I have recently been promoted to the position as a captain of one of the ANBU squads"

With the books she had managed to get her hands, she knew that the ANBU were the foundation of the shinobi system within the hidden leaf. She also knew a ninja had to be exceptionally skilled or powerful to enter those ranks and there must have been something very unique about Itachi Uchiha to become a captain so incredibly young.

"How…how is that possible?" she managed to ask him.

Itachi's eyes continued to watch her and Sayo could not help but nervously twiddle her fingers.

"Well I entered and graduated the academy at the age of seven"

Sayo found her mouth opening wide as she truly could not believe what she was hearing.

"Then…then you're a prodigy"

Itachi nodded:

"Just like you"

Sayo sucked at her lips, worried at how exactly he knew that piece of information about her and then he placed his hand onto her own:

"I suppose that may be a part of the reason why your father is determined to keep you locked away from the other villagers"

Sayo cocked her head confused:

"How did you know that I was a prodigy"

Itachi sipped his tea and nearly laughed:

"Well with the few times that you travelled through the village yourself, you always observed others around you and spent quite a bit of time in front the bookshops…"

Sayo gulped:

"You were watching me"

Itachi Uchiha smiled:

"The Uchiha clan may not directly approve of your father but we always take care of our own"

Even though Sayo wasn't fully understanding what Itachi was saying, it was almost as if they were watching out for her somehow. And she hoped that since Itachi was a prodigy like her, he would perhaps contribute to her ninja training.

_Could father really have wanted to keep me away from Itachi Uchiha?_

….

For her remaining hour or so Sayo learnt a great deal about how the Uchiha clan contributed to the hidden leaf village and also how due to some strife a few years back. They had been pushed to the edge of the village and from reading between the lines, it was almost as if her godfather the fourth hokage was one of the main reasons why the Uchiha clan hadn't gone to war with the village. She had learnt a little more about the nine tails and she kept wondering why she had learnt his name and why so many other ninjas refused to view him as an intelligent being. And she hoped that one day when they did finally meet, especially since he lived instead Naruto's stomach.

Soon enough the two of them were making their way back to the main section of the village and Sayo continued to ask him all sorts of questions. She admired how he had been able to graduate so early and she secretly wondered why her own father didn't take pride in her being a prodigy. If she had been a little older then she might have been rather jealous of him because his father was continually pushing him to do his best, whilst Sayo was becoming more and more convinced that her father was merely shielding her out of pure paranoia and nothing else.

And just before the two of them were about arrive at the prearranged meeting point with her mother, Sayo's heart nearly stopped in it's tracks when the person come into sight was not her mother…but…her father.

It was within mere moments that her heart started once more and her heart rate was slowly going through the roof as this meant that her breath of freedom was over…

….

The last few steps towards her father had been truly agonising and Sayo considered making a run for it, as she was sure that she would be in a great deal of trouble. And as she stole a few glances of Itachi, she was starting to think that her father's rage would only grew now that she had meet another prodigy.

"Good afternoon Lord Master Jiraiya"

Itachi and her father shared a brief firm handshake and it was only after a few seconds that Sayo realised that his grey eyes were watching her and no doubt thinking of ways to punish her for her infraction.

"Hello there Itachi, I trust that your latest missions with the ANBU have been a success"

Even though her father was talking to Itachi, his eyes were constantly on her and as time went by she was feeling more and more nervous. At first she had seen rage and slowly she was seeing disappointment.

"As always I aim to perform to my upmost abilities and assure each and every member of the hidden leaf village that there are dedicated shinobi who will keep the peace and allow them to not be affected by wars and other disasters"

Her father's laughed weakly and Sayo was now resisting the urge to shake from fear. She may have created a wedge in their relationship, but he still had a lot of influence in her life.

They shook hands once again and Itachi turned around and left, and then the two of them were left all along and she braced herself…braced herself for the obvious onslaught of insults or at least telling off which was sure to follow.

For the next few minutes her father continued to stare at her and soon Sayo realised that his expression was slowly turning into a full on glare. She was sure that there were countless amounts of things which he wanted to accuse her of like breaking his rules, disappointing him and all the above and a part of Sayo would have preferred him to just start shouting at her in front of all the villagers for everyone to see. Perhaps then she could slightly alter her image to being an ignorant little breakable doll to be a rebel, and that would at least make them see her as a separate entity from her parents.

But she wasn't so fortunate, as her father received forward and swiftly grabbed onto her wrist. And then he began to walk and drag her across the village. Sayo didn't know whether to be grateful or irritated since her father had chosen to keep his silence and manhandle her. If they'd been alone then she would have most probably kicked up a fuss, but since so many eyes were on the two of them, she found herself being helplessly pulled along and she was wondering how her father would punish her.

As they made their way back home, as that was Sayo thought, she noticed how tightly her father gripped her wrist and she was beginning to consider whether he was being rough of of anger or perhaps, even though admitting it would be quite humiliating, maybe it was out of extreme protectiveness. He didn't seem fazed by any of the villagers giving him questioning looks and Sayo was annoyed at how eager they were to look into their private lives.

Thinking about how much of a bad coincidence it had been that the person she had meet with had been her father and not her mother, made her believe that perhaps her mother had not been so sincere. She had known about her father's demands to 'not let her out of her sight', but now that she had caught it made her wonder of the reality of the situation. And before father and daughter were due to turn the corner and enter their own private road, Sayo became convinced of one thing…her mother had set her up!

….

Getting into bed that night had been extremely awkward. sure her father had chosen not to reprimand her verbally for exploring and meeting Itachi Uchiha, but the silent treatment he had decided to give her was significantly worse. From the moment that they had returned, she noticed that he had fortified the barrier and Sayo was starting to wonder if Kabuto's special contacts would be able to create a weak spot like all of those other times. The remainder of her afternoon had been spent trying to avoid her father's disappointed expression and the occasional sighs and angered eyes following her everywhere she went.

And once the sun had set and everyone had gone straight to bed, she was suddenly awoken by a cool breeze blowing through her room. Once she opened her eyes and sat up in her bedcovers, she saw the ever calm face of her sensei Kabuto. He always seemed to know what he was doing and Sayo hoped that the events which transpired during the day would not make it difficult for the two of them to leave the confines of her home. She hoped that her teacher had anticipated this or otherwise her secret training would have all been for nought.

She quickly arose from the covers and hurried over to her wardrobe, and before she received for a set of her clothes. She turned her head around and saw that Kabuto had looked away, no doubt respecting that boundary. And swiftly enough, she pulled her nightie of her head and pulled the navy blue skirt around her hips and the soft grey t-shirt over her head. After wearing dresses for so long, she knew that it would take a bit of time for her to adjust to wearing fully fledged trousers like her mother.

"Are you ready?" Kabuto said very softly, and Sayo responded in a meek tone:

"Yes, are you?"

Like all of this other times, Kabuto received inside one of his back pouches and without delay he placed down the two seals, one for silencing and the other one to bypass the stupid caged bird barrier.

And then Sayo asked the one thing which had been on her mind all evening:

"I think he strengthened the barrier…will I still be able to get through?"

For the next few minutes Kabuto merely grinned and then he answered:

"For your father to maintain this barrier, he relies on his chakra and considering how your chakra reserves are at the moment, I am sure that no matter how hard your father exercises his sealing skills. Your reserves will always be much more superior"

Sayo nodded and even though she didn't fully understand what her sensei as trying to say, she performed the clone jutsu. And soon enough, a copy of herself appeared and Sayo was pleased that since she was thinking of her nightie, her clone ended up in those clothes and not the current ones which she had changed into.

"Well you'd best get going then"

Then without any sort of warning, Kabuto grabbed onto her hand, and then he pulled her through the barrier. For a few moments the barrier, fizzled and crackled and for a few moments, Sayo thought that her father's seal would reject her and then she was pulled through.

…

When Sayo had initially be introduced to roof to roof travel, it made her feel incredibly uncomfortable but it appeared as if the more and more she used it, the more she realised that it was becoming her preferred mode of travel. From the documents which she had managed to get her hands on regarding the Sannin, she knew that jumping through the skies was typical for ninja travel and most of the villagers would have probably not dared to believer that she had come so far at such a tender age. But she couldn't help but wonder if there would ever come appoint in her life when others relied on her, rather then the other way round.

Kabuto appearing in her life had seemed to the perfect coincidence. He had come exactly when the relationship between her father was breaking down. And as she considered how much their connection had deteriorated over the months, she was sure that without Hashirama in the depths of her mind and Kabuto training her on the odd nights, then she may have given up her rebellion and returned to her father's control. Then she would have never had the chance to rid herself of the title of 'pretty little doll'.

Then suddenly she was pulled out of her trance, when Kabuto gripped onto her hand tightly and then he began to pull her straight towards the ground. It was a familiar feeling and Sayo was beginning to get more and more excited about what Kabuto had planned for that night. She was also glad to be away from her house, since it would allow her to clear her mind and hopefully be able to face her father. Especially since she was still convinced that her father would dish out some sort of punishment or perhaps prolong her current one, but she couldn't help but wonder why her mother had set her up. Because whatever the reason, Sayo couldn't help but consider the possibility that her mother had selfish intentions.

Once they hit the ground, Sayo found herself forced to run and she found herself confused as to why her teacher had decided to travel on foot and not from roof to roof like all of those other times. And from the moment they had reached what seemed to be the library, she realised that Kabuto had somehow made the two of them travel without their footsteps being heard.

Kabuto slowly approached the door and like always he whipped out the one thing which was required to open the door to the library. She was amazed at how many ways her teacher seemed to be able to circumvent the security implemented by the village hidden in the leaves. If her sensei ever chose to become an enemy of Konoha, then surely he would succeed because the more time she spent with him, the more she realised that his skill didn't necessarily lie in the abilities of cobalt but rather his high aptitude for espionage was something which could have come in parallel with the reports which she had read regarding her father.

And then he opened the door as they entered into the darkened halls which was the public library.

….

"So most of our midnight meetings have been based on practical skills, but tonight I thought that we should take a more theoretical approach"

Sayo cocked her head confused because even though she had grown so accustomed to leaning on Kabuto to test all those things which she had learnt from books. This suggestion seems to be a little strange, but since she was sure that her teacher knew what he was doing, especially since he had chosen the library that night and she simply nodded.

It didn't take long for Kabuto to take a seat and Sayo reluctantly followed.

"So I know you have been reading as many books as you have managed to get your hands on and I believe the best way to go about this, is to discuss everything and go into detail with things you are no sure about"

The first thing they naturally discussed was the history of the hidden leaf village and Sayo was pleased to learn that her father hadn't chosen to restrict her access to learning about the first, second and third hokages's reigns combined. Kabuto had added a few extra things here and there and Sayo was starting to get the feeling that her Monogatari clan may have been one of the very first pillars of how the shinobi culture was in her day. Kabuto had also gone onto give her a general overview of the other villages and even though Sayo had never really considered them to be important before, she could not help but wonder if sometime in the future she could learn their customs and become an even more powerful shinobi.

They then went onto talk about the finer details of spoken and written language, and even though Sayo had never really practiced writing before, she was pleased to find that she was able to shakily write out the Japanese alphabet along with simple words. It seemed that even though her father had taught her to read, she had somewhat taught herself to write and she was sure that if she managed to get her hands on the right book, then her writing skills as a whole, would surely improve. Because after all, with trying to avoid her father, she did end up teaching herself the basics and didn't rely on him for most things in her life.

After that they started exchanging what they knew about the shinobi laws. Sayo had a lot to say about the hokage level, since she had realised quite a while ago that this was what the Sannin's ninja rank could be compared to. Kabuto gave her more information regarding the lower levels and Sayo was beginning to consider the possibility that she would be far above Genin level by the time she even entered into the academy.

She also learnt about what it meant to be a part of team and even though she hadn't seen Naruto for quite some time. She really truly hoped that she would be on the same team as him and perhaps have the elusive Kakashi Hatake would be her team leader.

Soon enough they moved on what skills were needed to be ranked as a chuuin and then eventually to Jounin and beyond. Sayo loved the fact that Kabuto was always supporting her and never looking down on her, and she hoped that once she officially became a shinobi, she would make him proud but being the best student out of entire graduating class. But then there was always that possibility that her tormentors would interfere and then her dream of being acknowledged could be shattered and her attempts to become independent would have all been for nought.

They then went onto discuss the map which detailed where each and every one of the five hidden villages were located and what regions they belonged to. Sayo could not help but admire her great grandfather for the work he had accomplished during his lifetime and she felt even more privileged that he lived with the depths of her mind. She was sure that he wouldn't mind telling her more about how he founded the shinobi culture and she would have a great advantage on her missions if she had him whispering advice into her ears.

Lastly they exchanged what they knew about the various juts us which existed, and Sayo was glad that Kabuto had decided to refer to the theory behind each one of them. She was pleased to know that she had more or less mastered the technique which came up in the graduation exam. Kabuto had also gone onto informing her about the legal and the forbidden jutsu, and certain bloodlines which existed for certain families. A part of her hoped that she would inherit something from either her Senju or Monogatari clan or both, as she was sure that even though her father was powerful, he had not inherited the true power of his family.

And by the time the two of them had finished their conversation, the pitch darkness of the night was starting to fade into day.

Sayo was the first one to stand up and she turned to face her teacher smiling:

"Thank you Kabuto for everything which you are doing for me"

Kabuto then got up from his chair and placed his hand onto her shoulder:

"I know that your life may seem rather difficult at the moment but with all the allies your paternal clan have, I am sure that there will many other powerful shinobi who will help you advance in this world"

Sayo nodded slowly. Kabuto's training sessions were what she lived for but a part of her still hoped that her father would ease up a bit with his punishment, because after the events which had occurred the day before, her mother did not appear to be the perfect carefree parent which she had once believed.

**In the words of Jiraiya the Toad Sage: 'It's a question of quid pro quo...I'll give you what you want but in return you have to try and get me what I want..."**

**HERE WE ARE, THE END OF ANOTHER LONG CHAPTER! ANYHOW, I'LL START WORKING ON CHAPTER SIX ONCE I RECEIVE MY MINIMUM OF FIVE REVIEWS OR MORE (AFTER LAST MONTH'S PROCRASTINATION AND WRITER'S BLOCK, I REALLY DO NEED YOUR SUPPORT!)**

**So please REVIEW and hopefully soon enough you'll read a little more of Sayo's long adventure down her very own path to power!**


	6. Multiple Faces

**I do not own any of the characters or ideas created by Kishimoto Masashi. However my original character Sayo and story belongs to me.**

**Thank you gunslayer12, The Half-Fallen Angel, Feyea and Guest for your wonderful reviews, they're the only reason I have written and post this next chapter.**

**Here are some responses to your reviews!**

**gunslayer12: Thank you for your review! Yes I admit that proofreading has always been a weakness of mine regardless of whether it is a creative piece or one for university. Hmm it does seem as if Tsunade has lost her backbone, though deep down her behaviour may be because she fears that if given the chance to, Sayo could take her title and become the new legendary kunochi. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and PLEASE REVIEW!**

**The Half-Fallen Angel: Thank you for your review! Itachi was originally a request so making this chapter extra long was to make sure that his entrance into the story at that particular point was plausible. He will no doubt be very influence in Sayo's future because he is both a prodigy and somewhat close to her in age. SO PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT CHAPTER!**

**lydia barbour(sorry about the absence of the dot, every time I put it in, doc manager would erase the entire name so this was the only way!): Thank you for your review! I am flattered that you think that my writing style is so appealing. I am always trying to improve and this is why I need reviews to keep me developing my writing and big ideas. So I hope you enjoyed this next chapter and PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Feyea: Thank you for your review! Ah at last someone has put in writing that this is one of their favourites, it's nice to know that my story has resonated so well with you. As for identifying with Sayo, well I always take me time to walk in her shoes and think of her personality and how she would react to the world around her. As for Jiraiya being a better father and finding out what ruined his and Sayo's relationship, well that will only probably happen once Sayo feels that she has successful established her own identity and proven the the villagers of Konoha that she is not simply property but someone with power and a great mind. I hope you enjoyed this next chapter and PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT ONE!**

**Guest: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you think that this was a good chapter and I really hope you enjoy this one. And as always PLEASE READ AND REVIEW THIS NEXT ONE!**

**And finally my dear readers the time has come for the next chapter. So after so long you can finally feast your eyes and enjoy, and please do let me know you think! SO PLEASE REVIEW!**

If Sayo was glad for anything, it was that her father, even though he seemed to find fault in most things that she did, it was that he had not become excessively paranoid about her reading books which were located in the living room and her room. However she was still convinced that the most intriguing of tomes were still placed in his study, somewhere were was off limits but that didn't mean that she didn't sneak in there every now and again to memorise the secret information which he obviously didn't want her to get access to.

And from the moment that she found her self once again in front of the bookcases situated within the living room and she was somewhat stunned that the great toad sage still rotated the books in the house.

She recognised half of the titles but there was a large section of books, advanced books which detailed everything from the intricacies of the Japanese language, to maths and even manuals and the general history of the shinobi culture. Sayo was certain that there presence signified that there was a chance that her father would allow her to attend the academy and then she would fully be able to take advantage of the secret training which she received with Kabuto during the depths of the night.

It was after ten minutes of trying to decide which book she should start with first, she ended up removing all six of the books, and Hashirama was already playfully announcing that by the end of the week she will have consumed every ounce of information they had to offer. And with that massive library which existed within the depths of her mind, she wouldn't be surprised if out of her boredom she would do just that.

However carrying them over to the sofa had proven to be quite a predicament, and even though she refused to admit that her tiny size was the reason why she couldn't exactly lug those tomes over to the couch. And for a brief moment her father's image flashed in her mind and even though his smile had originally made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, it had soon been overtaken by annoyance and fury as she recalled why their relationship had broken down in the first place.

It was with these thoughts alone that she ignored the rational side of her brain which warned her that carrying those massive books would not be a good idea, and she slowly began to make her way forward. Within a few seconds she felt the weight of the books and for some reason Hashirama was unwilling to allow her to access to her chakra to increase her strength. It seemed as if he was still a little cagey about giving her full reign of that massive amount of chakra which by every passing day, she was certain was located deep within her soul. And even though one of their greatest desire was for her to learn to use it, it seemed as if he knew better then to permit her to accidentally do something which would alerted either one of her Sannin parents to her special midnight meetings with Kabuto.

And after what seemed like an eternity of moments, her arms finally gave way and before she could stop it from happening. She felt her entire body being pulled to the floor and from the moment that her head had impacted against the floor, everything had gone black.

….

When Sayo had initially started rebelling, Jiraiya had merely thought that she was simply trying something new by pushing the boundaries which he had set in place. But then when her acts of revolt had gone out of the privacy of their home, his patience had began to wain and his confusion seemed to be never ending. At first he hoped that there had been an error, but with the last prank which she had pulled alongside Naruto had proven to him that he couldn't merely hold onto the illusion that she was still his innocent baby girl. And realising this, he had to turn to discipline but as he made his way to the living room where he had sensed Sayo's chakra, and as he munched on his bag of guilty potato chips, deep within his heart he would never stop…never stop being her daddy.

From the moment that he had pulled the door open anticipating that she would be lying in her usual spot on the sofa, he was met with a completely different sight.

Lying face down on the floor was none other then his white haired daughter and scattered around her were six massive books, and it didn't take long for him to realise what had occurred. And he quickly suppressed the laugh which would have come out and swiftly placed down the bag of snacks, and he hurried forward and very, very carefully he slipped his hands under her body. And very quickly he began to realise that she had knocked herself unconscious.

Once he was sure that there was still a heartbeat, he began to carry her over to the couch and very carefully he flipped her around before putting her on the sofa. And he didn't hesitate for a second to access the damage which had been done, and even though they were minor injuries it still made his heart sink that she had not called for him to help but rather risked herself for something as trivial as carrying over large books to her usual reading place.

Within a few seconds he began to lovingly caress the carpets burns which had appeared on her knees, and his sadness only grew. He couldn't understand why she had turned so viciously against him and no matter the reason, he knew that he had to get her to break her silence because even with her advanced mind, he loved her too much to allow her to bottle up all of those negative emotions even if she lashed out at him in the end.

After a few minutes of rubbing her sore looking knees, he eyed the books which had fallen in random places around the floor where she had fallen flat on her face, and he rose to his feet and within a couple of swift movements he gathered together the books and put them onto the floor beside the couch where he had placed Sayo.

And once everything had been put in place, he kneeled down beside her once more and gave into his desire. Slowly he lifted his hand and gently began to stroke the fringe which they shared, he was sure that once she did finally open those lovely eyes of hers, he would be met by a cold glare. But since she pulled away from him when she was conscious, this was really the only time when he could dote on her and not have to deal with a completely cruel and changed Sayo.

It was roughly ten minutes after that, he felt her stirring and even though he knew that a scowl was waiting for him once those brown eyes of hers fluttered open, he continued to tenderly stroke her fringe anyway.

….

When Sayo had originally fallen, her mind hadn't exactly registered that she had been knocked out by the sheer impact of hitting her head against the floor. She was rather annoyed when she realised that she had been knocked out from the second that she realised that she was waking up from darkness.

It was within a few seconds that she realised that something wasn't quite right, as she felt a familiar hand fiddling with her fringe. And very quickly her mind figured out exactly who it was, and her eyes snapped open and she immediately glared at the face of none other then her father.

"I'm glad you're alright princess, you had a nasty fall"

Sayo continued to glare at her father, disbelieving the fact that he was being so kind and caring, no doubt a ruse to try and break her vow of silence. And seeing his placid face remaining, she did the only think she could think of and that was to turn on her side, and break his seemingly never ending gaze into her own eyes. In these circumstances she always recalled the cruel punishment which he had delivered, and she was certain that a miracle would have to take place for their relationship to be fixed rather then be damaged even further.

She waited there until she heard him sighing and walking out of the room leaving her to her own devices. No matter how authentic his act may have been, she was was sure that it was just that, an act, and she was certain that it wouldn't be long until he became bitter once more and make it easy for her to hate him anew.

_You did that on purpose didn't you Hashirama?_

For a few moments there was nothing more and nothing less then silence, and then he responded.

_Well…well if you had used your head and carried those books one or two at a time then you wouldn't have overstretched yourself and you would have avoided that awkward situation._

Sayo sat up suddenly and felt a little woozy and she was stunned that there wasn't a single mark on her body to indicate that she had fallen flat on her face. And she quickly realised that the books which she had originally selected from the shelf had been stacked beside the sofa, no doubt placed there by her father as some sort of peace offering.

She chose to respond to Hashirama from the moment that she had opened the first page.

_Hmmm…well if you would have me the chakra to lift those books then I wouldn't have overstretched myself. Now would I?_

Hashirama had no words and Sayo turned to start reading the book which had nestled in the security of her hands. It detailed the history of the Japanese language and of course the processes which were required to write at an advanced level. Even though her father has been the one who had taught her the art of reading, she was convinced that he wouldn't extended the same curtesy when it came to writing. But that didn't worry her excessively since she could the remaining basics from the books she had access to…and even though she would dwell on it for a long period of time, the possibility that her father had placed those books there for that exact reason implied that he was indeed indirectly teaching her to write. Sayo would make sure that she started testing out writing sooner rather then later, and she wouldn't be surprised if some time in the future he would find a way to test her and she knew that when that time came, she would be more the willingly to show him up and show him that she would never become his innocent baby anew.

The other books which she had chosen sounded interesting enough, but this book regarding language and how to write seemed far more important at the moment. Kabuto may have taught her the basic movements required to write but it seemed as if this would help her to convey her thoughts in a much more elevated manner. And after the many books which she had read, including the consumption of a dictionary or two, meant that this would most likely be far easier then she would have once imagined.

As she continued to read about the many different types of calligraphy, she wondered if she would spend a lot of type writing documents in her future. She was keenly aware of her mind, and it only seemed logical that she would use it to sometime in the future win battle and not spend her free time writing novels which disgraced her name, like her father did!

….

For the rest of the day, her father had seemingly disappeared from sight and Sayo had gradually put the book on writing to one side and tracked down a pad of paper and some writing utensils. And even though she had planned to only test out the new information which she had acquired. One hour had instead become more, eventually taking up her entire afternoon. At first she had chosen to copy passages from books and then at the end of it all, she had taken the large step to place her thoughts into writing. And a couple of times she felt as if there was a gap in her heart, and it had taken her great amount of effort to suppress the ache for the presence of her father.

Lunch had been a fairly quiet affair especially since it was only her and Shizune. In the past Sayo had felt extremely guilty for having implicated the brunette into her schemes for revenge but now, especially since her mother had betrayed her, she was starting to wonder if Shizune had jumped onto the bandwagon or did she have her own opinion in the matter. Though neither one really mattered, since Sayo had recently learnt that just like her, Shizune was also dependent in some form or another to her parents, two of the Sannin.

"Sayo, Sayo…dinner is on the table"

Sayo was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts and for a few minutes she examined the sheets of paper which she had filled with simple and more difficult sentences. Her writing had been shaky when she had first tried, but now it seemed as if her letters were becoming clearer and slowly an elegant style was beginning to emerge. And before leaving the room, she made sure to gather up all of the papers and slip them away were her father couldn't stumble across them accidentally.

And as she made her way towards the dining room, she could help but think about the predicament which had occurred with her mother. After everything which had gone wrong in her father, she was more or less convinced that the rupture with her luck would grow significantly, since she was sure that there was something else which had mother held against her. And she wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the issues which were taking place between her and her father.

Descending the stairs and crossing the threshold into the dining room had proven to be a simple affair, Sayo wasn't still one hundred percent sure whether or not she should reject her mother as much as she was forcing herself to do with her father. Hashirama hadn't said anything as of yet, and as Sayo looked up to see her mother and Shizune assuming their usual places around the table. She realised that she would have to give her mother then benefit of the doubt by accepting that it had been a coincidence that her father had tracked her down the other day…that was until she was given a reason to think otherwise.

"Are you alright, Sayo, you took a while to get down here I was getting worried?"

From the moment that her mother had looked up to gaze her, Sayo didn't know whether she should accept the mischievous smile or should she protect herself against any sort of conflict which would no doubt take place between the two of them.

"Sayo…Sayo…"

Sayo suddenly blinked a few times and realised that her mother was gazing at her very intently, and very quickly she assumed the seat to the right hand side of whether her father would have sat, if he were home.

And it was a few seconds later that she realised how much her plate had been packed with everything from well cooked meat, roast potatoes, vegetables and other delicacies. She wouldn't be surprised if her mother had decided to chose her food, because not speaking to her father signified that she didn't really speak to her or Shizune either.

She eyed the drink which had been placed in front of her, and found it amusing that her parents still insisted that she consume milk like a baby and even though she chose to reject other forms of parental control, she knew from the books she read that milk would help her grow and become stronger to perform the more advanced ninja techniques

For roughly fifteen minutes there was nothing but the sound of knives and forks scratching against the plate and Sayo's mind was buzzy with many conflicting thoughts. For almost a year she had kept her silence, and in that process she had seen her almighty father's control becoming less and less intimidating. It was obvious that it was irritating him to no end, especially since there were times that she was sure that he reverted back to his old manner of parenting, and she was sure that it was for the purpose of drawing her into a false sense of security.

However now she was beginning to realise that her extreme notion of rebellion might work against her in the near future. She had already entered the sixth year of her life and even though her father had attempted to celebrate her birthday, she had brushed him away and there was a chance that since she had rejected the event which he loved so deeply. He would in turn block her from getting what she desired the most, and that was to get into the academy and graduate as a genin to be able to enter into the ninja world.

Hashirama had started to hum loudly within her mind, and it was obvious what his answer would have been in regards to her dilemma. She would always love her father, there was no doubt about that, but given the circumstances. She knew that distancing herself from him was the only logical option she had to achieve her eventual aim. Because being the shadow of the legendary Sannin was something which she could not comfortably conform to…not ever.

Her thoughts and the uncomfortable silence had suddenly been broken by none other then the series of loud heavy handed knocking, and Sayo was instantly meet the gaze of her mother and her more the obvious words:

"Well go on then"

Her mother's tone was carefree and held no sign of the fact that she had made Sayo doubt whether or not her mother could be entirely trusted or not. And after a few moments of pondering who could have come to the door, she had risen to her feet and began to make her way to open it.

It did not take her long to realise that the only person it could be was her father, and she hoped that their meeting would be light hearted like early on that morning rather then tense. She had only rejected him to save her heart and stop the inevitable crying which may have been the result of such an encounter, once she was alone in the confines of her room that was. However since she was now certain that she would have to bring her vow of silence to an end, perhaps looking into his face wouldn't be hard as it had been over the last few months.

Both her mental and physical state had gone numb from the conflict on how she ought to have received her father and from the moment that she placed her hand onto the door handle, she knew that there was really no turning back now.

And it was a few seconds later that she came face to face with none other then the calm and jolly face of her father, and for a good few minutes she didn't know whether she should grimace or return his smile. Because the first option could have put her own wishes in danger whilst the second may have given her father the wrong impression that she was returning to his control.

"Will you let me in?"

His question made her snap out of her mini trance and seeing his smile, she simply stepped inward, giving him the gap needed to enter into their house. And before she realised what he was doing, she felt his long arms wrap around her body and even though she considered tensing up and pulling away from him, she didn't have the strength to do so.

And once he had released her, she heard him speaking:

"Have you started eating already?"

She nodded briefly and was amazed at how he continued to smile, and merely walked past her forcing her to follow. There wasn't any sign of his domineering nature or in fact overly affectionate one, and for a few moments she wondered if they would ever have a relationship where they would not find it difficult to look into each other's eyes.

And as the two of them eventually entered into the dining room, Sayo was starting to wonder what would be the best way for her to begin to talk to him once more.

The two of them assumed their places at the table and continued to eat their meal, and Sayo was somewhat relieved that her father hadn't attempted to strike up some sort of unimportant conversation with her as she was still debating on how she could speak to him and yet still retain the divide which she had managed to from between the two of them.

"So how did your meetings with the fourth hokage come along?"

Of course her mother would break the tension when her father was around, and if her mother turned out to be untrustworthy then at least she would be able to somewhat bear to be in the presence of her father, that was if she ever needed parental support sometime in the future.

"Good…he seems to know what he's doing, even if some of the villagers still ostracise the kid for having nine tails"

Hearing the mention of the nine tails meant that he was talking about none other then Naruto, and it made her heart sink. She hadn't seen him in so long, and she was beginning to realise not seeing her best friend was no doubt another part of her father's punishment. And she wondered if, after what had happened, would she ever be able to sneak off to see him and assure him that he was not at fault for what had transpired.

"Well I suppose that we all have to carry our burdens in life"

Hearing her mother's words made her clench her knife and fork as she continued to wolf down the food on her plate, and slowly she was starting to wonder when she could have her nighttime hot chocolate. Because the sooner she went to sleep, the sooner she would see whether or not Kabuto would show up to teach her something new.

And it wasn't before long that she got her wish, as Shizune had appeared with her mug of the coveted beverage and she had quickly consumed it's contents. Her father's attention had soon began to revert to her and Sayo knew that her bedtime had come around.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal Shizune, but it's late and I must make sure my little one gets enough rest"

Sayo could not help but lick her lips and wonder if her father's jolly manner was intentional or something else. And as she found herself following him, she wondered how long this grace period would last, because she was certain that it would cease very soon, after all he no doubt still wanted her to back out of her rebellion and return to being his pretty little doll.

It was not long until the two of them stood in front of the staircase, and without warning her father had placed a hand onto her shoulder and softly said:

"Goodnight princess…"

For a few moments they stood still, until Sayo took the logical step and ripped his arm away from her shoulder and hurried up the stairs. She couldn't let her guard down but she could sacrifice the one thing which had managed to balance the scales in her favour…her silence and spoke the words which would hopefully mean that he would perhaps soften up and let her attend the academy when the time came:

"Goodnight father"

….

It was exactly four hours later that she found herself jumping from roof to roof with Kabuto holding onto her hand as if she was the most important being in the world. His smile and general demeanour always managed to make her feel comfortable and cared for, and even though he had originally come with Orochimaru, she was still curious as to why he was training her so willingly. And she truly hoped that in the future she would be able to use all of his lessons to her benefit and show him that their midnight meetings had most definitely not been in vain.

The moon was high in the sky and for some reason, she felt incredibly rested. She had broken her silence and even if it didn't fix the relationship with her father, at least that was one less thing they had to fight about.

And it was not long after that the two of them had entered into the large open fields located near the edge of the village, and Sayo wondered why he had chosen an open location for that night. Until finally the two of them turned to face each other and Kabuto began to speak:

"So you broke your silence after all"

Sayo blushed mildly and responded in the way she believed to be the most appropriate.

"Well I thought that it wouldn't be very advantageous for me to hold my silence and then make any sort of request from him"

Kabuto merely smiled and nodded, and then Sayo went onto ask:

"Is there any reason why you chose to come to an outside location"

Kabuto laughed and approached her, replying:

"Not particularly…though fresh air is always a good thing isn't it?"

Sayo nodded and watched as he raised his hands and spoke:

"Though the transformation technique may need to be performed whilst in motion as well, so we can always try that"

Hearing the mention of the transformation technique had immediately made Sayo interested in the subject at had, and quickly all of the other worries and fears which she had, had become numbed so that she could solely concentrate on the lesson at hand. Kabuto came a little less then half of the nights, but Sayo could not help but feel that sometime in the near future these meetings would cease and then she would truly have to face reality once more.

"The transformation technique or henge can be used in multiple different ways, including the ability to mask one's ageing"

For a few moments Sayo considered what exactly Kabuto was attempting to indirectly tell her and then she responded:

"My mother should look older, shouldn't she?"

Kabuto merely smirked and his response was polite to say the least:

"Well some say that she is embarrassed that she is ageing…"

Hearing these words nearly made her laugh and then she saw Kabuto begin to move his hands:

"Dog…Boar…Ram…"

His hands quickly assumed the appropriate hand signs and Sayo was very careful to watch and memorise them, as she was certain that this technique would be very useful if she ever wanted to hide who she really was from the public, it would be the ideal solution to avoid their judgemental glares.

And then suddenly there was a puff of smoke and after it had cleared away, Kabuto had been transformed into a completely different person. His silver hair had become long and black, and his glasses had been replaced by snake-like yellow eyes. And his attire even resembled the person who was now standing in front of her:

"Or…Orochimaru?"

She saw that same snake like grin and as he placed her hand onto her cheek, the illusion had been broken. As she immediately felt that same chakra as before and she rapidly realised that her secret training had not been discovered:

"Kabuto…"

The illusion suddenly faded, as Kabuto's entire body was once again enveloped in a thick shroud of fog and then again the lookalike had become her sensei once more.

"And that Sayo is the transformation technique"

Sayo stared at him for a few seconds and then she began to lift up her hands, and before she could start weaving the signs to perform the jutsu. Kabuto gently held onto her wrists and very softly told her.

"Now Sayo, make sure that you don't rush when you first try this technique. Instead you should listen to that voice deep within your mind, after all he is very experienced in these things"

Hearing the mention of 'he', made Sayo pull her hands away from him and began to back way suddenly. And Kabuto's frown had become even more apparent as he reached forward to hold onto her shoulders, and in seconds she had started screaming:

"Get away from me, get away. I don't…"

Kabuto then did something unexpected, and soon enough he fell to his knees and held onto her hands while bowing his head. Almost like a subordinate prostrating to his ruler, his queen.

"Please Sayo I have always known about Hashirama, in fact without his help I wouldn't have been able to awaken your chakra network and teach you the basics in controlling it"

Sayo was still incredibly stunned that Kabuto had gotten down onto his hands and knees in such a manner and she heard Hashirama's voice deep within her mind:

_Kabuto is here to help you Sayo. He can teach you everything I cannot._

She turned her attention back to Kabuto and sighed:

"Please Kabuto stop bowing…"

After a few minutes her sensei rose to his feet once more and said the words which would make this little hiccup go away.

"One day you will be a great shinobi Sayo. It is in your blood…you were born to lead"

Sayo nodded and answered:

"I hope that you and Hashirama's confidence in my abilities are worth it"

Then without much warning she began to weave the signs which she had seen him performing, and she felt a burst of energy flowing through her entire body. It seemed as if Hashirama was more then willing to give her access, especially now that Kabuto had revealed that he knew about the presence located deep within her mind. And even though she trusted very rarely, she knew better then to push away the one man who was helping her in the one thing which would make her be recognised as a separate entity and even if she didn't clearly understand what Hashirama and Kabuto's intentions were, they still seemed to know a lot more about her heritage then she did.

Once the signs had been set, she felt her entire body be suffocated by incredibly thick fog and she almost felt as if a thin shell had encased her entire body, and the blinding fog passed revealing a completely different person.

"Well I must say I am flattered that you chose me as your first victim…"

Sayo then lifted her hands and went onto look at her now masculine arms and how the rest of her body clearly resembled that Kabuto and she was becoming more and more amazed at just how perfectly she had performed the jutsu. And when she saw Kabuto's pleased smile, and his words proved to be intriguing indeed.

"It seems as if the more advanced the jutsu, the more likely you can execute it perfectly first time round"

And it was just as a puff of smoke had reversed her technique, she found herself looking away and her surroundings soon began to morph, and very soon the fuzziness revealed the large inner fields which seemed to represent a large chunk of inner mindscape.

And soon enough she came face to face with none other the long black haired shinobi who had been proclaimed as none other then god of the ninja world. He was perhaps the main reason why she had managed to partially overcome the trauma which had occurred during the public presentation, and she was certain that without him the separation from her father would have probably been impossible and then she would never get the chance to show the world that she could be great in her own right.

"Hello Sayo, how have you been doing?"

His smile made her feel all warm inside and she responded truthfully:

"I suppose you know what happened this morning and you are glad no doubt"

Her guardian stayed silent for a few minutes and he reached forward and clasped her right hand into his, and lovingly stroked them. Responding in a truly genuine manner:

"No matter how much you want to be strong, you still need the support of one of parents"

She frowned confused and she managed to stutter:

"What…what do you mean the support of one of my parents"

Hashirama soon manoeuvred his hand onto her shoulders and without any sort of warning, he embraced her tightly into his arms. And she snuggled closer to him, breathing in his scent and waiting for what sort of response he would give her.

"Sayo…"

He began to murmur into her ear:

"…this is a cruel world and regardless of whether I am in your mind or not, you still need a parent to support you in your dark times"

Hearing his words made her heart sink and very slowly she found herself exiting from her inner mindscape, returning to reality.

She blinked a few times and realised that Kabuto was eyeing her with kind smile on his face and an ever patient face.

"Kabuto…?" she called to him hesitantly, and as she walked forward feeling a little dizzy from the emotions which Hashirama's proclamation had stirred up. She was convinced that she could both pursue her own path to power and rely on the support of her father, because she was certain that he would demand some sort of recompense.

"You know I was thinking that maybe you should try to transform into someone else…someone from memory and then we can see if you have truly gotten to grips with this technique"

Sayo frowned for a few moments, but slowly the image of one particular person was bringing to appear within her mind, and after not having seen him for such an incredibly long time. And she hoped that one day soon she would be able to see him and perhaps then she would be able to have a friend who wasn't tethered so closely to her family issues.

"Can I turn into anyone?"

Kabuto nodded.

Slowly she performed the hand signs again with only his image deep within her mind, and very soon she was covered in same shell as before and before she knew what was happening. Kabuto had burst into a fit of laughter, and all she could do was frown and then she realised what was wrong as soon as she spoke:

"What are you laughing about?"

Within seconds she noticed how different her voice was…how masculine. And she was shocked exactly who she sounded like:

"I'm Naruto…I'm Naruto"

Kabuto continued to laugh harder and harder and harder. Sayo examined her hands and her torso and was amazed at how she had succeeded into transforming into a male. And rapidly her mind was buzzing with all the different ways she could really take advantage of her new skill and there was one thing that she was certain of, once she officially became a ninja she would be able to slip amongst the villagers and learn about them. Yet there was one thing she was absolutely certain of, and that was that she would be able to really freak out her father when the time came.

**So we have come to an end of another chapter and Sayo has finally broken her vow of silence. The pace of this story may be a little story slow, but I need to concentrate on the smaller details in part two and three so that when the massive things take place in parts four and five! Now I must admit that I thought that the story had come to an end at the end of the last chapter, due to the lack of response and even though I was planning to write a total of five/six parts as a whole to this story. Without your support, I am not sure if this will be possible!**

**SO PLEASE GIVE ME A MINIMUM OF FIVE REVIEWS AND SHOW ME THAT THIS STORY IS WORTH CONTINUING!**


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